THE 


NEW  ORLEANS 

MARCELLU5  E.THORHTON 


* 


STEPHEN  B.  WEEKS 

CLASS  OF  1886; PH.D.  THE  JOHNS  HOPKINS  UNIVERSITY 

IJBBAKtf 

OF  THE 

UMVERSFIIY  OF  MMfflH  CARDUNA 
TIE  WEEKS  COLLECTTON 


C  8  li-TsiL. 


UNIVERSITY  OF  N.C.  AT  CHAPEL  HILL 


00017475297 


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Libra 


Lib.  lOM-Fe  '38 


THE 


LADY  OF  NEW  ORLEANS 

A  NOVEL  OF  THE  PRESENT 


BY 


MARCELLUS  EUGENE  THORNTON 


THE 


Hbbey  press 


TLonoon 


PUBLISHERS 
114 
FIFTH    AVENUE 
NEW    YORK 


/ft  cntre.nl 


Copyright,  1901, 

by 

THE 

Bbbes  Press 


FEW  TO  WHOM  I  WOULD 
AND  LESS  TO  WHOM  I  WILL,  I 

Dedicate 

THIS  BOOK  TO 

HYWEL   DA  VIES; 

A  COAL  OPERATOR  OF  COOL,  CALCULATING  ASPIRATIONS, 

BUT  WITHAL  A  LOVER  OF 

LITERATURE  AND  MUSIC, 

EVEN  THOUGH  THE  LATTER  BE  AN  EISTEDDFOD. 

MARCELLUS. 


0 


PREFACE. 


I  read,  since  this  work  has  been  in  the  hands  of  the  Publishers, 
30ut  a  gentleman  of  professional  avocation  in  a  certain  northern 
:ate  of  the  United  States,  who  is  well-to-do  in  the  world,  of  pol- 
hed  manners  and  high  social  distinction,  in  whom  there  is  appar- 
ltly  not  a  trace  of  taint  or  admixture  in  his  blood,  who,  to  his 
•edit,  informed  a  lady  of  high-born  lineage  and  distinguished  in 
>ciety  in  her  city  of  residence  for  her  beauty  and  attainments,  to 
horn  he  was  engaged  to  be  married,  that  his  blood  was  tainted ; 
lat  one  of  his  ancestors,  though  remote,  was  a  negro. 

Their  mutual  happiness  in  each  other  was  blighted  forever, 
wo  yearning  hearts  were  sundered.  The  lady  canceled  their 
strothal. 

The  anguish  entailed,  though  silent,  for  there  were  no  re- 
roaches,  must  have  been  intense.     I  should  like  to  have  fathomed 

This  work  is  a  sample  of  the  other  side,  recounting  the  heart- 
urnings  of  a  woman  under  like  dire  misfortune.  It  may  be  said 
lat  Rittea  de  Ampbert  should  have  been  portrayed  as  being 
Durted  and  feted  and  as  repulsing  all  the  men.  But  I  differ, 
he  was  made  as  she  is  because  she  was  just  that  way. 

The  Lady  of  New  Orleans  is  presented  as  a  "first  offering. 
i  this  business,  as  in  all  others,  one  must  needs  have  a  begin - 
ing.  Had  I  followed  the  injunction  of  the  timid  old  lady  to  her 
aughter  to  hang  her  clothes  on  a  hickory  limb  when  she  wanted 
)  learn  to  swim,  I  would  not  have  been  in  this  water  floundering 
ad  never  so  weakly  swimming. 

Marcellus  E.  Thornton. 


INTRODUCTION. 


As  a  foreword  to  "  The  Lady  of  New  Orleans,"  the  author 
thereof  submits  the  following : 

Americans  are  in  the  midst  of  that  period  in  their  national  ex- 
istence wherein  individuals,  led  by  the  government,  are  seeking 
fortunes  in  wealth  and  are  blind  to  all  other  matters  save  dollars 
and  cents.  In  fact,  in  the  period  of  acquisition  of  wealth,  the 
period  wherein  fabulous  wealth  suddenly  drops  into  the  laps  of  the 
poor  as  well  as  into  the  coffers  of  the  rich,  like  copious  rains  on 
their  gardens,  there  is  no  over-wrought  imagination  that  has  pic- 
tured the  sudden,  the  unlooked-for,  yea  unsought,  acquisition  of 
fabulous  and  untold  millions  of  riches  by  people  in  America. 
They  are  facts.  This  theme  is  cleverly  and  practically  dealt  with 
in  "  The  Lady  of  New  Orleans."  The  laboring  man  gains  riches 
and  he  in  turn  becomes  a  boss. 

But,  are  the  people  of  to-day  at  the  fruition  of  happiness?  Are 
the  women  as  happy  as  those  whose  siestas  were  lulled  by  music 
on  the  hanging  gardens  of  Babylon?  A  joy  of  the  past  is  not  a 
joy  for  the  present,  only  as  an  incentive,  a  lever  to  ambition. 

When  America  arrives  at  the  period  when  high  ideas  and  ideals 
will  prevail  and  predominate,  which  they  will  do  as  surely  and  in- 
evitably as  they  did  in  the  Assyrian  empire,  Carthage,  Greece  or 
Rome,  but  only  to  that  limited  degree  to  which  their  enlighten- 
ment and  intelligence  admitted,  it  is  to  be  hoped  that  such  ely- 
sium  will  not  be  engulfed  by  the  weight  of  their  own  folly  as  were 
those  peoples'. 

Imagine,  or,  see  for  a  fact,  my  lady  of  culture  and  refinement, 
with  wealth  at  her  command,  being  called  upon  to  appease  the 
hunger  of  a  neighbor.  Would  such  a  condition  be  in  consonance 
with  a  life  that  was  blissful?  But,  even  a  stronger  case  in  point 
is  discerned  when  my  lady's  daughter  elopes  with  the  African  as- 
sistant to  the  florist  gardener,  or,  when  her  son  and  only  heir 

5' 


6  Introduction. 

weds  with  the  maid,  be  she  black  or  foreign,  what  does  society 
say? 

When  this,  natural,  some  one  may  say,  but  still  repugnant,  or- 
der of  affairs  in  society  shall  have  passed  away  in  America  and  be 
a  legend  of  the  past,  when  literature,  music,  art,  science,  yea, 
learning,  even  common  sense,  shall  be  the  ruling  order  of  the  times 
among  the  people  of  America,  then  the  foremost  nation  of  the 
world;  that  were  the  period  when  the  present  immigrant-mixed, 
typeless  and  untypifiable  American,  and  it  were  well  to  admit  that 
at  present  there  is  no  type,  having  passed  through  the  ordeal  and 
by  intermarriage  among  the  purest-blooded  of  its  own  people  will 
be  developed  into  a  type  of  enlightened,  civilized  people  far  above 
and  beyond  any  people  who  ever  lived  on  earth.  Such  a  race  of 
people  will  be  distinctly  American.  They  are  coming ;  the  present 
American  is  forceful,  individually  and  collectively.  He  will  force 
the  coming.  American  energy  and  money  is  being  expended  to 
that  end. 

But  the  acme  will  be  reached  when  every  one's  lawn  is  a  fete 
champctre,  where  every  one  who  will  may  enter,  and  be  a  party 
and  listen  to  the  rapturous  strains  of  the  voice  of  Nature  given 
forth  in  wave  sounds  from  samosins  and  mandolins  supported  in 
symphony  by  grand  brass  bands  in  the  background. 

Every  person  should,  and  no  doubt  does,  wish  himself  in  a  con- 
dition to  dispense  such  hospitality  to  such  a  people.  The  return 
of  such  calls  would  be  such  a  joy  to  a  man's  mind  and  soul  that  he 
would  wish  the  world  to  have  no  end,  till  he  were  done.  If  such  a 
time  is  not  coming  why  are  so  many  people  piling  up  millions  upon 
millions?  What  good  will  it  do  to  their  children's  great-grand 
children  ? 

American  civilization  has  been  incongruous  from  the  very 
nature  of  the  circumstances  surrounding  it,  and  of  which  it  has 
been  a  vital  part.  Immigration  and  the  consequent  mixing  of 
blood,  to  which  must  be  added  the  commingling  of  habits,  customs 
and  manners  of  poor  people  in  a  virgin  world,  has  absolutely  hin- 
dered and  prevented  the  crystallization  of  a  solid,  substantial  and 
distinct  civilization  within  a  length  of  time  so  short.  But  these 
same  forces  working  to  a  common  end,  a  period  when  the  people 
will  have  the  wealth  to  gratify  their  intelligent  tastes  and  desires, 
a  wealth  descended  from  their  strenuously  over-wrought  fore- 
fathers, will  ultimately  transcend  any  civilization  that  has  ever  ex- 
isted.    In  fact,  America,  though  now  in  chaotic  embryo,  a  swad- 


Introduction.  7 

dling  of  one  hundred  and  fifty  years,  is  farther  advanced  in  every- 
thing pertaining  to  human  happiness  and  peaceful  lives  than  any 
other  nation  of  a  life  of  over  four  thousand  years. 

Therefore  to  the  lovers  of  the  beautiful,  those  who  contemplate 
life  in  an  optimistic  way  "  The  Lady  of  New  Orleans  "  will 
perhaps  give  pleasure  and  convey  food  for  thought. 

The  Author. 


CONTENTS. 


CHAPTER  PAGE 

I.  The  Shadow  In  The  Path 1 1 

II.  Gets  The  Jew  Out  Of  Trouble 17 

III.  Meets  The  Charmer  And  Misses  Being  Shot 22 

IV.  Meets  Delarue.     Is  Kidnapped 28 

V.  The  Dago  Takes  A  Tumble 34 

VI.  Kidnapped  This  Time 42 

VII.  Stop  Der  Ship 47 

VIII.  A  Cheap  Tract  Of  Land 52 

IX.  Dalgal,  The   Ureamomaniac 59 

X.  Alpha  And  Bertha  At  Pilot  Town 62 

XI.  Roomed  Together 67 

XII.  In  The  Same  Cabin  Room 72 

XIII.  What  Happened  to    Millyard 77 

XIV.  Dalgal's  Engagement  Dream 82 

XV.  Villeguini  Bribing    Delarue 86 

XVI.  Ralph  The  Reporter  Got  The  Facts 93 

XVII.  Key  To  The  Ills  That  Beset 97 

XVIII.  Sam  Waxelbaum  Throttled 100 

XIX.  Millyard  Meets  The   Lady 104 

XX.  Millyard  As  A  Courteous   Courtier m 

XXI.  They  Plighted  Their  Troth 121 

XXII.  Miss  deAmpbert    Describes  Millyard I28 

XXIII.  Millyard's  First  Practical  Lesson '35 

XXIV.  Villeguini  Brought  To  Terms '41 

XXV.  That  Awful   Bar-Sinister,— Race J47 

XXVI.  From  Beggar  To  French  Opera *  51 

XXVII.  Preparing  For  The  Wedding J56 

XXVIII.   Awful  Tragedy  Averted l65 

XXIX.    Extraordinary  Discovery l72 

XXX.   Richest  Mines  In  The  World *77 

9 

J 


io  Contents. 

CHAPTER  PAGE 

XXXI.  The  Dark  Question  Of  America 182 

XXXII.  Mystery  Of  Marquand 188 

XXXIII.  Awful  Revelation 193 

XXXIV.  Down  In  North  Carolina 200 

XXXV.  Hiddenite  Diamond  Mines 205 

XXXVI.  When  The  Spark  Was  Started 211 

XXXVII.  How  The  Gems  Are  Found 216 

XXXVIII.  Retrospectively  Introspective 221 

XXXIX.  Millyard  Gets  A  Dividend 229 

XL.  A  Life-Eating  Canker 238 

XLI.  How  The  Gem  Was  Formed 246 

XLII.  Jerushi  Turns  Up 251 

XLIII.  That  Awful  Terrible  Crime 257 

XLIV.  The  Curse  Of  The  Republic 268 

XLV.  Grand  Bonanza  Sold 272 

XLVI.  Plans  For  The  Future 271 

XLVII.  Blowing  Rock  On  Grandfather  Mountain 282 

XLVIII.  The  Lady  Of  New  Orleans 288 

XLIX.  The  Sting  That  Stings 294 

L.  Lawyers  Entering  Their  Wedges 3°° 

LI.  A  Wail  In  The  World 3°5 

LII.  A  Brilliant  Mind's  Vagaries 3IQ 

LIII.  De  Larue  Humoring  Millyard 3r4 

LIV.  End  To  Which  We  Come 321 


THE  LADY  OF  NEW  ORLEANS. 


CHAPTER  I. 

THE    SHADOW    IN    THE    PATH. 

"  Come  with  me,  young  man,  you're  wanted,"  said  the  officer. 

A  detective  of  the  police  department  of  New  Orleans  had  taken 
a  young  man  by  the  name  of  Alpha  Millyard  by  the  arm  and  was 
conducting  him  to  the  central  police  station.  It  was  late  one  after- 
noon at  a  period  not  many  years  subsequent  to  the  termination  of 
the  civil  war. 

Alpha  Millyard  was  a  young  lawyer,  having  been  admitted  to 
the  bar  as  a  lawyer  in  October,  1867,  when  he  was  only  nineteen 
years,  one  month  and  fifteen  days  old. 

He  had  practised  some  at  his  profession  in  two  or  three  other 
states  before  locating  in  New  Orleans.  He  was  reared  in  Atlanta, 
where  his  mother  and  his  sister,  who  was  younger,  still  resided. 

He  had  been  in  New  Orleans  about  fifteen  months  and,  as  may 
well  be  inferred  by  his  having  been  admitted  to  the  bar  to  plead 
and  practise  as  an  attorney  and  counselor-at-law  when  only  nine- 
teen years  of  age,  where  the  statutes  provided  that  before  being 
admitted  applicants  shall  be  twenty-one  years  of  age,  he  possessed 
the  acumen  necessary  to  acquire  a  fair  portion  of  clients  in  the  fif- 
teen months  he  was  there. 

However,  it  must  be  conceded  that  he  was  not  extensively  ac- 
quainted; nor  did  he  possess  the  faculty  of  becoming  acquainted, 
only  with  those  who  sought  his  acquaintanceship. 

By  those  who  knew  him  he  was  regarded  as  a  brilliant  lawyer. 

The  detective  lodged  Millyard  in  a  special  cell ;  one  that  con- 
tained a  bunk.  He  asked  to  know  the  charge  against  him,  but  the 
officer  was  ignorant,  or  refused  to  give  the  information. 

11 


12  The  Lady  of  New  Orleans. 

Millyard  began  then  to  think  of  the  matter  seriously.  He  could 
bring  to  mind  no  circumstance  whatever  that  would  justify  his  ar- 
rest, especially  without  a  warrant. 

Soon  after  dark,  when  the  gas-lights  were  burning,  a  detective 
presented  himself  at  the  cell  door  and  asked  in  a  quick,  imperious 
manner : 

"  What  have  you  done  with  that  young  lady?  " 

"  What  young  lady?  "  demanded  Millyard. 

'  The  one  you  took  from  Poydras  market  this  morning." 

'  I  never  took  a  young  lady  from  Poydras  market  this  morn- 
ing," vehemently  shouted  Millyard,  as  he  jumped  from  the  bunk 
and  rushed  to  the  cell  door. 

"Stiff,  are  you?  That's  all  right."  So  saying  the  officer 
walked  away. 

Millyard  was  never  so  impulsive  before ;  but  never  before  had 
he  so  much  cause  to  be  incensed.  The  opening  to  him  of  the  cause 
of  his  arrest  and  summary  incarceration  was  so  foreign  to  his 
high-bred  culture  and  disposition  that  it  forced  an  undue  exhibi- 
tion of  the  primitive  spirit  of  man  on  his  part.  Under  these  cir- 
cumstances Alpha  resumed  his  bunk  and  was  moaning  loudly  and 
quite  unnecessarily. 

"  Great  Caesar !  Grant !  or  iny  ither  mon  !  hevn't  ye  not  a  pint  er 
sinse?  How'm  I  ter  kape  up  wid  yer?  You  broke  ther  rig'ler 
drill  an'  now  yer  indeaverin'  ter  brake  me  slape." 

'Who  is  that  individual  thus  addressing  me?"  inquired  Mill- 
yard  of  a  passing  sentry. 

"  A  red-headed  gentleman  of  Jewish  and  Irish  extraction  on 
the  other  side  of  the  avenue,"  replied  one  of  the  few  Irishmen  on 
the  police  force  of  New  Orleans  as  he  passed  the  cell  door. 

"  Make  him  acquainted  with  me,"  said  Millyard. 

"  I  don't  know  yer  names,  but  this  is  Mister  and  this  is  Mister," 
said  the  policeman,  as  the  two  men  viewed  each  other  across  the 
"  avenue." 

"  What  is  the  nature  of  your  complaint?  "  asked  Millyard. 

"Yer  git  over  'em  quicker'n  any  mon  I  iver  saw."  said  the  so- 
called  Hebrew.  "  I  thot  yer  had  the  jam  jims  and  willie  warns. 
You  moaned  and  gnashed  yer  teeth  like  yer  had  ther  Portia 
money." 

'  I  do  not  understand  your  lingo,  sir,"  responded  Millyard. 

"What's  yer  ailment?  The  charge  agin  yer?"  returned  the 
Irishman. 


The  Shadow  in  the  Path.  13 

"  I  have  not  seen  the  warrant  for  my  arrest ;  nor  am  I  advised  of 
the  nature  of  the  charge  against  me,"  replied  Millyard.  '  There 
was  an  officer  here  a  minute  or  two  ago  who  asked  me  what  I  had 
done  with  a  young  lady  in  Poydras  market  this  morning.  As  I 
know  nothing  about  it  I  suspect  she  must  be  your  sister." 

"  Now  you're  talkin'.  I  have  no  sister,  but  I  know  a  good  feller 
who's  got'  one.  She's  a  pardner  wid  a  druggist  and  knows  more 
'bout  the  business'n  he  does.     What  line?  " 

"  I  do  not  understand  you,"  retorted  Millyard. 

"  What'er  you  in  this  prison  fur?  " 

"  If  I  know,  nothing." 

"  That's  like  me.     I'm  in  here  fur  nothin'  too." 

"  But  you  know  the  charge  against  you  ?  " 

"  They  say  I  made  free'n  azy  at  the  club'n  smashed  a  glass." 

"  I  hope,  my  friend-in-trouble,  you  will  come  out  of  it  all  right. 
If  I  was  out  of  here,  as  I  am  a  lawyer  I  would  defend  you  for  the 
fun  of  the  thing." 

"  Now  that's  clever.     Suppose  you  do  if  anyhow  ?  " 

"  Before  you  are  called  out  in  the  morning  tell  me  about  your 


case." 


To  this  the  Jew-Irishman  assented. 

Alpha  Millyard  awoke  just  as  the  performances  at  the  Bidwell's 
and  St.  Charles  street  theaters,  which  were  near,  were  closing. 

When  the  chief  of  the  detectives  returned  from  the  theater  he 
sent  an  officer  for  Mr.  Millyard. 

"  What  have  you  done  with  that  young  lady  ?  "  asked  the  chief 
of  detectives  in  his  office  downstairs,  looking  Millyard  full  in  the 
eyes. 

"Done  with  a  young  lady?  Sir,  your  language  is  insulting," 
replied  Millyard,  calmly,  but  deliberately  and  defiantly.  "  I  do  not 
know  what  you  are  talking  about,  nor  do  I  know  anything  about 
any  young  lady  to  whom  you  can  refer.  This  is  an  outrage  upon 
my  personal  liberty,  sir,  and  you  know  it." 

"  You  were  in  Poydras  street  market  this  morning  before  sun- 
rise?" queried  the  officer. 

Mr.  Millyard  admitted  that  he  was,  but  denied  the  accusation 
following ;  that  he  met  a  young  lady  in  the  market  and  walked  out- 
side with  her. 

"  Didn't  you  hold  a  hurried  whispered  conversation  with  a  lady 
about  half-way  in  the  market,  the  large,  handsome,  brown-eyed 
girl  with  a  red  shawl  on  her  arm  and  a  red  rose  on  her  bosom  ?  " 


14  The  Lady  of  New  Orleans. 

"  I  don't  remember  seeing  any  such  lady  as  you  describe." 

Then  the  chief  questioned  him  at  considerable  length,  asking 
among  other  things  the  names  of  the  ladies  whom  he  saw  in  the 
Poydras  market  that  morning.  To  this  Millyard  replied  that  he 
saw  Miss  Fisher,  Miss  Welker,  Miss  Caloe,  Miss  Dalmar  and  Miss 
Benjamin. 

"  You  have  not  yet  mentioned  the  name  of  the  right  one,"  said 
the  chief.     "  Probably  you  are  withholding  her  name  purposely?  " 

Mr.  Millyard  responded  that  those  were  the  only  ones  he  saw  in 
the  market  with  whom  he  was  acquainted,  but  if  there  was  another 
one  he  had  failed  to  remember  and  if  her  name  was  mentioned,  he 
would  tell. 

"  How  about  Miss  Saloshin  ?  " 

"  I  do  not  know  a  lady  of  that  name." 

"  Did  you  see  Miss  Marquand?  " 

"  Marquand?     No  ;  I  do  not  recall  the  name." 

"  Letetia  Marquand?  "  the  chief  persisted. 

"  Letetia?  I  have  heard  that  name.  I  think  a  woman  who  is 
called  Letetia  was  in  the  market." 

"  Sergeant,  take  this  young  gentleman  back  to  the  cell,"  com- 
manded the  chief,  sternly.  "  I  think  he  knows  enough  to  be  able 
to  tell  us  something  by  morning."  Mr.  Millyard  was  conducted 
back  from  whence  he  came. 

The  sensations  permeating  his  brain  were  not  pleasant.  It  was 
indeed  a  strange  experience  for  a  young  gentleman  of  good  char- 
acter and  integrity.  He  paced  the  prison  cell  and  reflected,  while 
the  noise  from  the  feet  of  passing  people  grew  less  and  less  in 
frequency  as  the  night  advanced.  The  whole  past  in  all  his  life 
rolled  up  before  him  as  it  were  in  one  grand  panoramic  picture. 

Finding  nothing  in  his  conduct  that  warranted  arrest,  much  less 
incarceration,  and  supposing  from  what  had  been  said  by  the  de- 
tectives that  he  was  suspected  of  kidnapping  a  female,  or,  of  in- 
ducing one  to  leave  her  home,  either  one  of  which  was  an  offense 
repugnant  to  Alpha  Millyard's  manly  instincts,  anger  began  sup- 
planting the  plaintive  wail  of  innocence. 

"  Young  man,  you  better  own  up  and  tell  where  that  girl  is," 
spoke  a  sentry  passing  Millyard's  cell  door.  '  The  father  of  the 
girl  is  in  the  chief's  office.  He  wants  to  know  if  you  will  tell 
where  his  daughter  can  be  found." 

"  Who  is  he,  and  who  is  his  daughter  ?  Does  he  lodge  a  formal 
charge  against  me  ? "  asked  Millyard. 


The  Shadow  in  the  Path.  15 

"  No ;  not  yet.  He  says  he  will  take  a  warrant  if  you  do  not 
agree  to  tell  the  chief  where  he  can  find  the  lady." 

"  Give  him  my  compliments  and  tell  him  I  do  not  know  him,  nor 
do  I  know  his  daughter ;  and  if  I  knew  such  a  woman  I  would  re- 
nounce her  acquaintance."     The  officer  departed. 

Mr.  Millyard  was  left  alone  with  his  thoughts  during  fifteen 
minutes  cr  more  when  a  sergeant  of  police  appeared  at  the  iron 
hars  and  opening  the  door  commanded  him  to  come  with  him  to 
the  office. 

"  This  is  the  gentleman  whose  daughter  you  spirited  away  from 
Poydras  market  this  morning,"  said  the  chief,  pointing  to  a  little 
dapper,  weazened  Polak,  or  Polish  Hebrew  seated  near  the  chief. 
"  He  says  if  you  will  tell  where  his  daughter  can  be  found  he  is 
willing  for  you  to  be  released." 

'  Who  is  this  person  that  makes  such  a  slanderous  charge 
against  me?  I  know  him  not."  Alpha  Millyard  had  straightened 
himself  to  his  full  five  feet  ten  inches,  and  his  fierce  glance  awed 
the  cringing  Polak. 

"  You  said  you  knew  Mr.  Millyard,"  remarked  the  chief  to  the 
Polak. 

"  He  no  know  me,"  replied  the  Polak,  timidly.  "  Dosh  vos  all 
right.  But  me  dosh  know  him.  I  know  him  ven  I  sees  'im.  I 
see  'im  many  dimes.  He  vos  near  mine  'ouse.  He  haf  'is  vatch 
shain  vixed.  He  vos  der  very  mon  vot  dey  say  took  avay  mine 
Bertah.  He  took  her  avay  frum  der  Boydras  streedt  markit  dis 
very  mornins.  Dose  people  vot  saw  'im  say  so.  Dey  vos  know 
vot  dey  vos  dalkin'  "bout." 

"  What  is  your  name?"  demanded  Mr.  Millyard. 

"  Dot  vos  my  pisniss,  undt  it  vos  none  uf  yours." 

"  Mr.  Chief,"  said  Millyard,  "  I  appeal  to  you.  On  what  charge 
am  I  held  here  in  prison?" 

"  Mr.  Rosenstin."  said  the  chief,  puffing  a  curling  circle  of  cigar 
smoke  from  his  lips,  "  do  you  make  a  charge  against  this  man?  " 

"  You  all  dos  know  how  it  vos  petter'n  I  dos.  I  know  vot  you 
all  dells  me,"  replied  the  Polak. 

"  I  want  to  warn  you,  chief,"  said  Millyard,  "  I  am  entirely  in- 
nocent in  this  affair  and  shall  hold  each  and  every  man  engaged 
against  me  to  a  strict  accounting.  I  demand  to  see  the  warrant,  or 
to  know  the  charge,  and  if  there  is  none,  that  I  be  given  my  free- 
dom." 

"  What  do  you  say  ?  "  said  the  chief,  addressing  the  Polak. 


16  The  Lady  of  New  Orleans. 

"  I  vants  mine  daughter,  Mister  Chief,"  he  answered. 

"  Certainly !  "  exclaimed  the  chief.  "  Do  you  make  a  charge 
against  Mr.  Millyard  of  taking  her  away  and  keeping  her  away 
from  you  ?  " 

"  Ef  dot  vos  der  vay  ter  get  'er  I  dos,  yes,  sir." 

"  All  right,"  said  the  chief.  "  Sergeant,  take  Mr.  Millyard  back 
to  the  cell" 

"  Mr.  Meelyard,  vont  you  dells  me,  bleese,  vere  vos  mine 
daughter,  Bertah?"  beseechingly  implored  the  Polak  with  out- 
stretched hands  as  Mr.  Millyard  walked  to  the  door. 

"  Sir,  I  am  not  your  daughter's  keeper,"  answered  Millyard 
throwing  his  head  back.  "  I  don't  know  her.  If  your  daughter 
has  left  your  home,  the  fault  is  yours,  or  hers,  not  mine.  Ser- 
geant, please  conduct  me  to  my  cell." 


Gets  the  Jew  out  of  Trouble.  17 


CHAPTER  II. 

GETS  THE  JEW  OUT  OF  TROUBLE. 

Mr.  Millyard's  thoughts  were  now  directed  to  a  recollection  of 
the  names  of  the  female  persons  whom  he  saw  in  the  Poydras 
street  market  that  morning. 

He  remembered  all  about  rising  early  at  his  boarding-house  up- 
town and  starting  out  to  visit  the  French  market  for  a  cup  of 
French  coffee,  and  the  early  morning  walk.  Instead  of  going 
there,  however,  he  halted  when  passing  and  turned  into  the  Poy- 
dras street  market. 

He  finally  reflected  that  he  did  pass  a  handsome  young  woman 
in  the  market  whom  he  met  for  the  first  time  at  Sam  Waxel- 
baum's  the  night  before.  He  did  not  know  her  name,  only  Bertha. 
It  may  be  possible  that  she  was  this  Polak's  daughter,  and  her 
name  Bertha  instead  of  Bertah,  or  Berter. 

Arguing  the  case  with  himself  he  recognized  that  it  would  be 
difficult  to  procure  bail,  because  on  such  a  charge  the  presumption 
would  be  strong  against  him.  At  least  he  decided  not  to  attempt 
it.  Nor  would  he  write  or  telegraph  to  his  mother  or  sister. 
They  were  too  gentle  and  tender.  It  would  unstring  their 
nerves. 

There  was  another  one,  a  lovely  woman  at  Hickory,  in  North 
Carolina,  got  there  through  two  or  three  migrations,  whom  he  de- 
sired not  to  know  of  his  being  charged  with  such  an  offense.  She 
was  his  affianced. 

Sleep  having  failed  him  he  sat  on  the  edge  of  the  bunk  think- 
ing thus  of  the  ills  that  beset  him  while  gazing  through  the  iron 
bars  high  up  at  the  white  cornice  and  coping  of  the  large  build- 
ing across  the  street,  and  at  the  stars. 

Finally,  just  before  daylight  there  was  a  noise  at  his  cell  door. 
Soon  the  door  was  unlocked. 

"  Young  man,  you  can  go,"  said  the  turnkey. 
2 


1 8  The  Lady  of  New  Orleans. 

"Why  so  abruptly  this  early?"  inquired  Millyard. 

"  I  have  orders  to  turn  you  out.     That's  all  I  know." 

Millyard  was  so  much  elated  he  never  thought  of  inquiring 
about  the  young  lady.  He  emerged  on  the  street  a  new  man,  a  dif- 
ferent man  because  of  the  new  trend  of  thought,  and  walked  up 
St.  Charles  street  toward  his  boarding-house,  which  was  with  a 
private  family,  a  Mr.  Frank,  his  collaborator  on  a  work  of  some 
note,  which  was  in  blank  verse.  Streaks  of  light  glinted  from  the 
east  as  he  neared  his  domicile.  The  sun  would  soon  show  its 
face.    He  waited  for  it  before  entering. 

"  See  here,  Millyard,"  said  his  long-headed,  long-bearded, 
shaggy-haired  German  friend  at  the  breakfast  table,  "  there  is 
something  serious  in  your  case.  Yovt  are  not  at  the  end  of 
it." 

"  I  am  afraid  your  diagnosis  is  correct,"  replied  Millyard. 
"  Being  arrested  on  such  a  charge,  though  I  must  admit  I  do  not 
know  the  charge,  only  as  I  tell  you  that  I  was  requested  to  inform 
where  the  young  woman  is  to  be  found  whom  I  am  charged  with 
taking  clandestinely  from  Poydras  market  yesterday  morning,  but 
of  whom  I  know  absolutely  nothing,  is  humiliating.  As  I  never 
abducted  a  young  woman,  I  could  not  disclose  her  whereabouts. 
It  is  awful !  I  do  not  know  what  to  do,  or  what  I  can  do.  The 
more  I  stir  it  and  fuss  about  it  the  worse  it  will  be  for  me." 

Remembering  about  the  Hebrew-Irishman,  Mr.  Millyard  re- 
paired to  the  Recorder's  court  to  defend  him.  The  young  man 
explained  that  his  name  was  Miles  Jerushi.  That  his  father  was 
a  Hebrew,  and  that  his  mother  was  an  Irish  lady. 

"  You  see."  said  he.  "  thev're  incompatible;  they  don't  same  to 
agree  togither.  When  they  agrae  they  same  to  git  along  the 
worst.  The  old  mon.  he  drinks,  an'  I  drink,  an'  you  see  my 
mither,  she  kapes  ferninst  the  percession.  On  these  occasions  they 
both  axe  me  ter  lave  the  domicile  for  a  period  so  as  not  to  disturb 
the  equilabraum.  On  this  occasion  I  jagged  off  to  the  club.  It's 
on  the  back  uv  the  levva. 

"  When  Jack  Binster  got  into  a  hittin'  argumint  wid  Lum  Lester> 
the  boss  of  the  shebang,  I  took  'is  part.  I  told  the  spook  ef  'e  didn't 
let  up  on  Jack  I'd  smash  'is  mirror.  He  thought  I  meant  'is  face. 
But  bless  your  soul  and  mine,  too,  I  wasn't  thinkin'  uv  smashin' 
'is  face ;  Jack  could  do  that.  I  meant  the  glass,  the  lookin'-glass 
mirror,  the  one  that  restid  on  the  sideboard  at  the  end  of  the 
counter.    Then  he  fetched  such  a  suddint  jerk  wid  'is  left  that  it 


Gets  the  Jew  out  of  Trouble.  19 

precipitatid  me  tile.  I  grabbed  meself  togeder  an'  exclamatorily 
said,  '  You  ole  snoozer! '  Before  I  could  say  '  What  de  r  mane?  ' 
he  plunked  the  other  agin  me  shoulder  as  I  braced  it  off  wid  me 
lift.  I  grabbed  de  mirror  wid  me  right.  As  he  come  at  me  the 
tribble  time  I  smashed  de  mirror  over  'is  cranaum  an'  rung  de 
frame  roun'  'is  neck,  sorter  'Lizabeth  style.  Den  I  jist  give  it  a 
few  nimble  twists  wid  me  dexter  fer  'is  furder  edification.  Now 
I  guess  whut  'e's  got  me  up  fur  is  ter  make  me  pay  fur  de  mirrer. 
See?" 

"  A  case  like  that  could  not  be  brought  in  this  court,"  said 
Millyard  when  his  client  had  concluded.  "  I  guess  you  are 
charged  with  fighting  or  disturbing  the  peace ;  I  will  see.  Who  are 
your  witnesses  ?  " 

"  Jack  Binster ;  he'll  be  out  there  'n  the  audience." 

The  case  was  called :  "  Miles  Jerushi ;  disorderly  and  fight- 
ing." 

The  evidence  showed  the  case  to  be  about  as  Miles  Jerushi  had 
so  glibly  but  unintelligibly  explained  to  Mr.  Millyard.  Mr.  Miles 
Jerushi  was,  however,  discharged. 

"  You  are  the  top  uv  a  lawyer !  "  exclaimed  Miles  when  he  got 
outside  of  the  court-room  with  Mr.  Millyard.  "  I  knew  frum  the 
cut  er  yer  jib  you  was  a  good  'un.  This  is  the  first  time  I  iver 
got  clear  when  they've  had  me  up.  Ef  you  hadn't  helped  me  out 
they'd  sint  me  up  fer  tin  days.  What  km  I  do  fer  ye?  I've  no 
mon.     But  I'll  do  anything  you  want." 

"  I  can't  say  just  now,"  replied  Millyard.  "  Come  to  my  office 
on  Carondelet  street  and  see." 

About  two  or  three  days  later  Millyard  met  on  Camp,  near  Canal 
street,  the  detective  who  arrested  him.  They  were  about  to  pass 
each  other  without  salutation,  but  simultaneous  glances  induced  a 
mutual  halt. 

"Have  you  heard  anything  from  that  young  lady?"  asked 
the  detective. 

"  I  have  not,"  replied  Millyard.    "  What  is  her  name?  " 

"  Rosenstin,  Bertha  Rosenstin,"  replied  the  officer. 

"  What  about  her?  "  inquired  Millyard. 

"  I  understand  she  went  to  St.  Louis.  Her  father  is  a  jeweler 
on  Poydras  street." 

"  Is  he  worth  anything?  "  asked  Millyard. 

"  He  owns  the  jewelry  store  and  the  building.  He  lives  over 
the  store,  and  he  owns  a  fine  house  and  lot  up  in  Carrollton.    The 


20  The  Lady  of  New  Orleans. 

girl  has  come  from  St.  Louis.  I  understand  she  is  on 
Magazine  street,  somewhere  beyond  the  Magazine  market." 

"  Can  you  tell  me  how  it  came  that  I  was  arrested  and  im- 
prisoned ?  " 

"  Rosenstin  and  Sam  Waxelbaum  said  you  induced  the  girl  to 
go  with  you.     There's  another  feller  got  a  hand  in  it." 

"Tell  me  about  it,  can't  you?"  asked  Millyard. 

"  I  have  told  you  all  that  I  am  privileged  to  tell  you,"  he  replied, 
striding  off  down  the  street. 

Alpha  Millyard  did  not  suspect  that  the  wily  detective  was  lur- 
ing him  to  see  if  he  would  seek  the  woman. 

Although  reared  in  a  qui  si  city  Mr.  Millyard  was  comparatively 
inexperienced  in  the  ways  of  the  people  of  the  world.  The  civil 
war  had  prevented  him  from  securing  a  collegiate  education,  but 
his  mind  sought  books  and  quiet  study. 

His  father,  a  captain  in  artillery,  was  slain  in  the  thickest  of  the 
fight  on  the  blood-drenched  field  of  Gettysburg. 

Then,  too,  on  top  of  this  great  loss  to  the  family,  the  soldiers  of 
Sherman's  army  occupying  Atlanta,  razed  the  large  frame  dwell- 
ing house  occupied  by  Mr.  Millyard's  mother  and  his  little  sister, 
Cecelia,  as  soon  as  the  house  was  vacated  by  them.  Mother  and 
daughter  were  required  to  exile  themselves  from  the  city,  to  go 
either  north  or  south.  They  chose  south,  and  were  not  out  of 
sight  of  their  lovely  home  when  the  soldiers  began  tearing  it  down 
to  get  the  lumber  to  be  used  in  building  their  breastworks,  the 
line  of  which  passed  close  by  the  house. 

The  other  houses  in  the  city  belonging  to  them  were  burned  at 
the  same  time  the  city  was  burned  as  Sherman's  army  departed  to 
march  through  Georgia. 

These  misfortunes,  with  the  freeing  of  the  negroes,  left  the  Mill- 
yards  with  no  property  save  the  bare  ground. 

When  the  war  ended  young  Millyard  built  a  home  for  his 
mother  and  sister  as  best  he  could.  The  houses  that  Sherman 
burned,  the  rents  of  which  had  been  a  source  of  income,  were 
later  also  replaced  by  others  ;  if  not  so  good,  they  commanded  rent 
in  Atlanta  at  that  time. 

It  was  at  this  period  that  Mr.  Millyard,  without  collegiate  edu- 
cation and  only  eighteen  years  of  age,  began  studying  law  instead 
of  theology.  His  father  had  expressed  a  desire  and  his  mother  still 
more  fondly  wished  for  him  to  be  a  preacher. 

The  family  lived  in  an  atmosphere  of  refinement  that  was  en- 


Gets  the  Jew  out  of  Trouble.  21 

chanting.     Both  mother  and  daughter  possessed  gentle,  sweet, 
lovely  dispositions  and  exquisitely  charming  manners. 

Alpha  Millyard's  going  to  New  Orleans  was  to  better  himself 
in  a  broader  field  for  his  expanding  mind  in  the  practise  of  his 
profession,  after  having  wandered  for  a  time  in  Kentucky  and 
North  Carolina. 


22  The  Lady  of  New  Orleans. 


CHAPTER  III. 

MEETS  THE  CHARMER  AND  MISSES  BEING  SHOT. 

After  dinner — nearly  all  New  Orleans  dines  from  four  and  a 
half  to  seven  o'clock — Alpha  Millyard,  through  a  tortuous,  devious 
leading  of  intuition,  or  inclination,  wended  his  way  up  Magazine 
street  to  Magazine  market.  He  no  doubt  thought  possibly  he 
could  in  some  way  glean  some  sort  of  information  at  the  market 
concerning  the  whereabouts  of  the  mysterious  female  who  was 
the  cause  of  the  threatened  blighting  of  his  life.  His  idea  was  to 
see  her  and  get  matters  rectified. 

He  explored  the  market  in  vain,  and  was  wandering  in  that 
section  of  the  city  when  a  heavy  rain  set  in.  He  sought  shelter 
and  found  it  accidentally  at  the  residence  of  his  casual  acquaint- 
ance, ex-Judge  Cotton,  a  brother  lawyer. 

During  the  time  it  continued  to  rain  Mr.  Millyard  by  chance 
drifted  into  a  relation  of  the  circumstances  of  his  arrest  and  im- 
prisonment. 

Not  until  nine  o'clock  did  it  cease  to  rain.  Then  it  was  that 
Alpha  ventured  forth  and  boarded  a  Magazine  street  car  expecting 
to  return  to  his  boarding-house.  About  midway  in  the  next 
square  the  car  came  to  a  place  where  the  street  swagged.  The 
mules  had  proceeded  quite  as  far  as  they  could  without  resorting 
to  swimming  when  the  car  came  to  a  halt  because  the  mules  re- 
fused to  swim.  The  water  was  nearly  up  to  the  seats  in  the 
car,  although  it  was  on  higher  ground  than  the  mules  were. 

The  passengers,  both  ladies  and  gentlemen,  got  up  and  were 
standing  on  the  seats  on  both  sides  of  the  car,  and  were  scream- 
ing and  shouting  at  the  driver  and  the  conductor.  Those  two 
worthies  were  taking  their  revenge  by  confounding  the  city  and 
its  management  for  permitting  such  an  event  to  be  possible. 

While  the  disconcerted  driver  and  conductor  were  endeavoring 
to  unhook  the  mules  from  the  front  end  of  the  car  with  the  inten- 
tion of  taking  them  to  the  rear  and  pulling  the  car  back  out  of  the 


Meets  the  Charmer  and  Misses  Being  Shot.     23 

water,  several  passengers,  finding  themselves  already  drenched 
from  the  knees  down,  set  their  legs  in  the  water  at  the  platform 
and  waded  to  the  sidewalk.     Among  those  so  doing  was  Millyard. 

Proceeding  back  up  the  street  Millyard  had  not  gone  more  than 
twenty  steps  before  he  was  arrested.  The  officer,  who  seized  him 
by  the  arm,  searched  him,  as  he  said  for  deadly  weapons. 

"  What  am  I  arrested  for?  "  inquired  Millyard,  calmly. 

The  detective  explained  that  the  information  would  have  to  be 
furnished  at  police  headquarters. 

Millyard  was  marched  down  cross  streets,  crossing  Camp  street 
to  St.  Charles  street,  thence  to  the  central  police  station. 

Not  far  behind  them  was  another  officer,  with  a  young  lady 
under  his  escort  as  a  prisoner.  The  two  parties  entered  the  police 
station  almost  simultaneously.  As  Alpha  Millyard  was  being 
hurried  to  a  cell  he  caught  a  glimpse  of  the  lady,  but  failed  to 
recognize  her. 

"  I  demand  to  see  the  warrant,  or  to  know  the  charge  on  which 
I  am  arrested,"  said  Millyard  as  he  was  ushered  into  the  cell. 

"  You  will  learn  in  time  enough  for  you,"  replied  the  turnkey 
as  he  closed  the  door  and  locked  it. 

Half  an  hour  later  the  turnkey  reappeared  at  the  door  of  Mill- 
yard's  cell. 

"  Come  out  here,  young  man,"  he  said. 

Mr.  Millyard  was  marched  down  stairs  and  into  the  office  of  the 
chief  of  detectives  and  confronted  with  a  lady.  The  chief  coarsely 
and  uncouthly  asked : 

"  Do  you  know  this  woman,  sir?  " 

"  I  have  not  the  pleasure  of  the  lady's  acquaintance,  nor  do  I 
know  her  name,"  courteously  responded  Millyard,  his  usual  way. 

"  Are  you  acquainted  with  this  man?  "  inquired  the  officer,  ad- 
dressing the  lady. 

"  I  never  saw  him  before,"  she  replied,  "  until  in  the  street  car 
on  Magazine  street  to-night." 

Then  came  another  turn  to  the  affair. 

"What  have  you  here  my  daughter  for?"  abruptly  demanded 
a  lean  wiry,  black-whiskered,  trim-dressed  individual,  who 
rushed  into  the  police  office  at  that  juncture.  "  Kate,  why  did  you 
not  come  home?  Because  they  have  arrested  you?  What  have 
they  arrested  you  for  ?  " 

Rushing  toward  the  man  with  outstretched  arms  the  lady  fell 
prostrate  on  the  floor.     Two  of  the  officers  rushed  to  the  rescue 


24  The  Lady  of  New  Orleans. 

and  asisted  the  lady  to  her  feet.  Meantime  the  enraged  man  turn- 
ing toward  Millyard,  furiously  exclaimed  : 

"  You  are  the  villain  who  has  caused  my  daughter  to  be  ar- 
rested. I  will  kill  you !  "  The  frenzied  man  on  the  instant 
produced  a  little  revolver  wherewith  to  do  the  killing,  and 
leaped  round  a  table  which  was  in  the  center  of  the  room. 

One  of  the  officers  quickly  intercepting,  grabbed  the  pistol, 
while  another  officer  grasped  the  man. 

Millyard  was  quickly  hustled  out  of  the  office  and  back  to  his 
cell.  Soon  after  midnight  the  turnkey  opened  the  door  of  his  cell, 
saying : 

"  Young  man,  you  are  discharged ;  you  may  go." 

Mr.  Millyard  uttered  some  imprecations  as  he  was  passing 
out  through  the  office  about  a  gentleman  being  arrested  in  the 
night;  imprisoning  him,  then  turning  him  adrift  at  such  an  un- 
seasonable hour  without  any  explanation,  nor  even  an  apology. 

It  was  rather  late  in  the  night  for  Millyard  to  go  to  the  home 
of  his  friend  where  he  boarded.     Yet  he  had  no  other  place  to 

go- 
Next  morning  Mr.  Millyard  recounted  to  Judge  Cotton  the  in- 
cidents he  experienced,  and  asked  his  advice  as  to  what  he  should 
do  in  the  premises. 

"  There  is  a  villainous  scheme,"  said  the  wise  old  lawyer ;  "  a 
diabolical  scheme  against  the  liberty  of  your  person,  Mr.  Millyard. 
Have  you  any  enemies  here  ?  " 

"  None,  that  I  know  of,"  replied  Millyard. 

"  Then  some  friend  of  that  young  woman  is  endeavoring  to  get 
you  entangled  in  order  to  extricate  himself." 

"  I  wish  you  would  help  me  out  of  my  trouble,  Judge,"  said 
Millyard. 

"  All  right,  sir,"  replied  the  Judge.  "  I  will  do  all  I  can  for 
you.  Be  quiet  about  it  a  few  days  until  I  can  see  the  officials  and 
ascertain  what  it  means." 

"  Very  well,  sir,"  said  Millyard.  "  Then  if  they  arrest  me  again 
I  will  send  at  once  for  you." 

Walking  down  the  wide  but  well  crowded  sidewalk  of  Canal 
street  about  an  hour  after  seeing  Judge  Cotton,  Mr.  Millyard 
was  suddenly  confronted  by  Miss  Bertha  Rosenstin,  the  lady 
whom  he  was  accused  of  abducting. 

"  I  am  sorry,  Mr.  Millyard,  that  you  were  arrested  and  put  in  the 
police  station  on  my  account,"  she  said.    "  I  cried  about  it."    She 


Meets  the  Charmer  and  Misses  Being  Shot.     25 

looked  at  him  straight  in  the  eyes.  They  were  walking  down 
Canal  street.  She  continued :  '  Mr.  Millyard,  I  love  you.  I 
loved  you  before  we  met  that  night  at  Mr.  Sam  Waxelbaum's. 
Father  had  heard  me  say  so.  He  did  not  like  it.  He  treats  me 
badly  and  causes  my  stepmother  to  treat  me  worse.  So  when  I 
went  home  that  night  and  father  found  out  that  I  had  met  you  he 
abused  me  and  beat  me,  actually  beat  me.  I  decided  to  leave 
home.  They  say  I  went  to  St.  Louis,  but  I  did  not.  I  went 
down  in  the  French  quarter  to  a  lady  friend  of  mine.  A  banker 
here  in  town,  where  my  father  does  his  banking,  has  been  ob- 
noxious by  his  persistent  attentions  to  me  ever  since  last  Autumn. 
He  found  out  where  I  was  and  came  to  see  me.  He  told  me 
about  your  being  arrested  on  my  account.  I  told  him  that  although 
I  loved  you,  of  course  you  had  nothing  to  do  with  my  leaving 
home.  He  said  they  intended  to  send  you  to  the  parish  prison 
and  then  to  Baton  Rouge.     He  is  jealous  of  you." 

'  You  surprise  me  so  greatly,"  exclaimed  Millyard,  "  I  know 
not  what  to  say.     Who  is  this  banker  ?  " 

'  I  cannot  feel  myself  at  liberty  to  tell  you  that,"  she  replied, 
"  especially  at  the  present  time.  Though  I  can  say  his  bank  is  on 
Camp  street.  He  says  he  knows  you ;  that  he  met  you  on  Caron- 
delet  street." 

Carondelet  street  is  the  Wall  street  or  Lombard  street  of  New 
Orleans. 

"  Did  he  say  how,  or  why  they  intended  to  send  me  to  the  parish 
prison  and  to  the  penitentiary  ?  " 

;<  No,"  she  replied ;  "  that  was  all  he  said  about  it.  Only,  that 
they  have  detectives  watching  you." 

'  There,"  cried  Millyard,  excitedly,  "  comes  a  man  who  tried  to 
shoot  me  last  night."     Millyard  had  no  time  to  escape. 

The  man  who  endeavored  to  shoot  him  at  the  police  station  the 
night  before  pressed  himself  forward  through  the  crowd  of  people 
on  the  sidewalk,  mostly  women  and  children,  and,  presenting  a 
small  revolver  at  Mr.  Millyard,  pulled  the  trigger. 

Miss  Bertha  Rosenstin  uttered  a  piercing,  terrifying  scream,  and 
fell  fainting  to  the  sidewalk. 

Those  people  who  were  near  enough  to  witness  the  scene  were 
fearfully  frightened,  and  fell  back  in  horror. 

A  detective,  who  had  been  following  Millyard,  rushed  forward 
in  time  to  snatch  the  little  mischief-making  pistol  from  the  wild 
man's  grasp  before  he  could  pull  the  trigger  the  second  time,  it 


26  The  Lady  of  New  Orleans. 

having  snapped  and  missed  fire  before.  A  poHceman  appeared  and 
the  two  officers  conducted  both  the  would-be  murderer  and  Mr. 
Millyard  to  the  police  station. 

"  You  here  again  so  soon?"  said  the  fat-faced,  blur-eyed  sta- 
tion-house keeper  to  Mr.  Millyard,  as  he  was  conducted  in  the 
office. 

"  Sir.  And  as  unrighteously  as  ever  before,"  haughtily  replied 
Mr.  Millyard,  who  was  then  marched  to  a  cell  without  benefit  of 
bail,  which  the  would-be  shooting  man  was  promptly  allowed  to 
give. 

About  noon  Millyard  was  taken  before  the  chief,  in  his  office. 

'  Young  man,  this  is  growing  very  serious  with  you,"  remarked 
that  pompous  individual. 

"  I  perceive  it  is,  sir,"  replied  Millyard.  "  And  I  desire  to  warn 
you  now  that  you  and  your  henchmen  must  and  shall  cease  this 
unwarranted  persecution  of  me,  and  at  once. 

"  I  accidentally  met  that  female  about  whom  you  and  your  men 
are  hounding  me.  That  ba»ker  on  Camp  street  as  well  as  yourself 
and  your  men  are  running  yourselves  as  if  in  a  race  to  become  the 
heaviest  in  debt  in  indemnity  for  your  vile  work.  I  demand  the 
charge  against  me  and  a  hearing  immediately.  I  will  not  submit 
to  any  more  quiet  dismissals  from  arrest  and  imprisonment.  I 
demand  that  you  send  for  Judge  Cotton  to  come  and  see  me  im- 
mediately."   The  chief  discovered  that  he  had  run  against  a  snag. 

"  Judge  Cotton  has  not  been  in  the  police  court  in  over  two 
years,"  replied  the  chief.    "  He  does  not  take  cases  like  this." 

"  Sir,  I  never  asked  you  for  information  or  your  opinion.  Do 
as  I  have  demanded  and  send  me  back  to  the  cell." 

Twentv  minutes  later  Alpha  Millyard  was  conducted  back  to 
the  chief's  office  and  there  confronted  Judge  Cotton.  Mr.  Mill- 
yard  informed  the  chief  that  he  would  excuse  his  absence  from 
the  room  a  few  minutes.  When  the  chief  was  gone  Millyard 
related  his  case  to  Judge  Cotton. 

The  latter  called  the  chief  back  in  the  office. 

"  This  gentleman  belongs  to  one  of  the  best  families  in  the 
south,"  explained  Judge  Cotton  to  the  chief.  "  He  was  with  ex- 
President  Jefferson  Davis  and  General  William  F.  Browne  at  the 
City  Hotel  yesterday  afternoon  and  again  this  morning,  and  I 
know  that  they  both  hold  him  in  high  esteem.  He  is  a  lawyer  in 
good  standing  at  our  bar.  You  and  your  detectives,  and  that 
banker  on  Camp  street,  are  making  a  very  grave  mistake  in  perse- 


Meets  the  Charmer  and  Misses  Being  Shot.     27 

curing  him.  I  am  prepared  to  defend  him  on  any  charges  that  may 
be  preferred  against  him.  If  he  is  not  released  immediately  on  his 
own  recognizance  I  will  walk  up  the  street  to  the  City  Hall  and 
see  the  Administrator  of  Police  about  it." 

"  Certainly,  Judge,  if  you  say  so,"  meekly  replied  the  chief  of 
detectives.  "  We  will  want  him  to  appear  at  the  Recorder's  Court 
in  the  monr'ng  at  ten  o'clock  as  a  witness  against  Mr.  Henrique 
for  attempting  to  shoot  him."  The  chief  did  not  relish  the  proba- 
bility of  the  renowned  and  influential  ex-judge  consulting  with  the 
Administrator  of  Police  in  regard  to  Alpha  Millyard's  case. 

"  Of  course  he  will  do  that,"  the  Judge  replied. 


28  The  Lady  of  New  Orleans. 


CHAPTER  IV. 

MEETS    DELARUE. — IS    KIDNAPPED. 

Feeling  much  relieved  after  being  released,  Mr.  Millyard  ven- 
tured to  visit  the  scene  of  the  attempt  on  his  life.  His  main 
object  in  doing  so  was  to  ascertain  what  had  become  of  Bertha 
Rosenstin  and  whether  she  had  recovered. 

Observing  a  messenger  boy,  or  clerk,  standing  at  the  door  of 
the  store  in  front  of  which  the  disturbance  of  the  peace  took 
place,  Millyard  quietly  inquired  if  he  could  tell  him  what  had 
become  of  the  young  woman  who  fainted  there  that  morning. 

"  They  sent  her  to  the  Charity  Hospital,"  said  the  boy. 

Mr.  Millyard  was  glad  they  had  not  sent  her  to  her  father's 
house,  for  in  such  event  he  could  not  go  and  see  her.  He  thanked 
the  boy  and  made  his  way  down  Canal  street  to  the  Charity  Hos- 
pital. 

In  answer  to  his  inquiry  Millyard  was  informed  by  an  official  in 
the  hospital  that  the  lady  had  been  sent  home  to  her  father,  at  his 
request,  two  hours  or  more  before. 

Walking  back  up  Canal  street  towards  town  Mr.  Millyard  was 
musing  over  the  affair,  when,  chancing  to  look  across  the  wide 
boulevard,  he  espied  the  detective  who  arrested  him  the  first  time. 
But  onward  he  walked,  appearing  not  to  have  seen  the  officer. 

Presently  he  met  a  scantily,  or  rather,  shabbily,  clad  man,  who 
halted  him  by  asking : 

"  Mister,  please  give  me  ten  cents  to  get  something  to  eat." 

"  Good  gracious,  man,"  replied  Millyard  ;  "  I  need  every  cent 
I  have  and  more  besides.     I  am  in  trouble." 

"  What  kind  of  trouble?  Can  I  help  you?  "  The  unkempt  fel- 
low exhibited  a  kind  heart  the  second  sentence  he  spoke. 

"  Help  me?  Eh?  How  can  you  help  me?"  replied  Millyard, 
eyeing  the  man  closely. 

"  I  used  to  be  able  to  help  people  a  great  deal,"  said  the  tramp- 
looking  beggar.     "  What  is  the  nature  of  your  trouble  ?  "    The 


Meets  Delarue. — Is  Kidnapped.  29 

poor  man,  though  shabby  in  dress,  had  a  noble  looking  face  and  a 
pleasing  expression  of  countenance.  He  was  of  good  stature,  but 
had  stubby  black  whiskers  mixed  with  grey,  small  black  eyes, 
and  wa ;  rather  thin  in  body,  showing  plainly  that  he  was  actually 
lacking  in  the  necessaries  of  life.  He  had  turned  and  was  walking 
back  with  Millyard. 

"  My  trouble  is  more  serious  than  would  concern  you,"  returned 
Millyard. 

"  If  there  is  any  trouble  that  can  be  righted,  I  have  nothing  to 
do  and  need  employment  for  my  mind  as  well  as  to  obtain  food. 
I  can  fathom  any  trouble  that  requires  the  services  of  a  detective. 
I  used  to  be  a  detective." 

"  What ;  are  you  a  detective?  " 

"  No,  sir ;  no  indeed ;  not  now,"  the  man  replied  quickly,  fear- 
ing no  doubt  from  Millyard's  hotly  asked  question  that  he  had 
blighted  a  chance  for  employment.  "  I  got  put  out  of  that  position 
some  time  ago  !  " 

"  I  see  a  detective  across  the  street,"  remarked  Millyard,  indi- 
cating with  a  nod  of  his  head.  "  He  is  shadowing  me,  but  why  I 
do  not  know.  I  was  arrested  by  him  not  long  ago,  but  it  was  en- 
tirely unwarranted  and  a  false  imprisonment.  But  I  understand 
they  have  me  marked  for  trouble  still  in  store.  What  kind  and 
why  is  beyond  my  ken." 

"  Why,  certainly,"  replied  the  tramp ;  "  that  is  Bill  Volney.  He 
is  the  worst  and  meanest  man  on  the  whole  force.  There  is  noth- 
ing too  mean  for  him  to  do." 

'  That  to  me  is  very  cold  comfort,"  said  Millyard.  He  then 
went  on  and  related  to  the  man  all  the  circumstances  connected 
with  his  case. 

"  I  am  just  the  man  to  help  you  out  of  any  trouble  like  that," 
said  the  new  found  friend.  "  Being  an  old  detective  in  the  depart- 
ment with  those  fellows  I  can  circumvent  any  game  or  job  they 
can  put  up  on  you.  I  worked  myself  out  of  office  on  account  of 
politics  and  drinking.  But  my  brains  have  returned  to  my  relief. 
If  you  will  permit,  and  furnish  me  something  to  eat,  I  can  and  will 
find  out  and  block  any  and  every  scheme  against  you  they  con- 
coct. I  think  I  know  the  banker  who  is  referred  to.  I  can  easily 
ascertain.  If  he  be  the  one  I  think  I  can  make  him  play  my  tune. 
Nothing  easier ;  the  same  as  with  all  rascals." 

"  You  are  the  very  man  I  want,"  Millyard  returned  in  reply,  dis- 
covering a  ray  of  hope  that  he  could  be  saved  from  the  evil  that 


30  The  Lady  of  New  Orleans. 

seemed  to  be  impending.  "  Come  right  along  with  me :  I  will  pro- 
vide for  you  as  you  request  to  the  full  extent  of  my  means. 

"  I  am  a  lawyer  practising  here,  but  have  not  been  in  New 
Orleans  very  long ;  still,  I  have  considerable  monev  due  me  as 
fees.  If  I  had  a  good  man  with  me  to  secure  me  cl  ents  I  could 
soon  make  money  sufficient  for  us  both.  Recently,  not  having  as 
many  clients  as  1  wished,  I  have  been  dabbling  in  literature  with  a 
friend,  who  is  also  a  lawyer.  I  am  collaborating  with  him  on  a 
deep  and  very  important  work,  which  is  in  blank  verse.  I  can, 
however,  relinquish  that  pastime  and  turn  my  attention  wholly  to 
the  practise  of  law.  If  you  will  get  me  cases  I  will  share  my  fees 
with  you.  This  method  of  securing  clients  and  fees  was  hereto- 
fore outside  the  ethics  of  the  profession ;  but  recently  it  is  becom- 
ing quite  the  vogue,  and  now  it  is  the  shiftiest  man  who  gets  the 
business  and  the  fees." 

"  I  am  glad  to  hear  you  talk  in  that  way,"  said  the  ex-detective. 
"  It  shows  to  me  you  have  a  latent  backing  of  your  own  which 
counts  for  something  substantial.  It  thrills  me  also  with  renewed 
energy  to  know  that  I  can  be  favored  to  work  for  such  a  man.  I 
feel  sure  you  can  in  only  a  few  years  make  your  fortune  here  in 
New  Orleans.  If  I  can  get  new  and  decent  clothes  again,  as  I  was 
wont  to  wear,  I  know  I  can  secure  you  the  clients.  Beinsf  a  detec- 
tive here  so  long  enables  me  to  know  the  people  well." 

By  this  time  the  two  men  arrived  at  Johnnie's  cafe,  which  was 
on  the  corner  of  Carondelet  and  Gravier  streets,  where  they  took 
drinks  and  had  lunch. 

"  There  is  that  Bill  Volney  still  watching  you."  remarked  the 
beggar  ex-detective  as  they  came  out  of  Johnnie's,  turning  his  head 
in  the  direction,  continuing:  "  Don't  you  see  him  in  the  doorway 
down  there  near  Barronne  just  this  side  of  the  corner?  By  the 
way,  can  you  meet  me  at  some  place  down  town  to-night  ?  " 

"  Yes,  I  suppose  so,"  renlied  Millyard.  ' 

"  If  you  will  I  may  be  able  to  impart  some  valuable  information. 
I  will  proceed  at  once  to  glean  it  from  some  of  my  old  chums  on 
the  force." 

The  two  men  met  at  the  St.  Charles  Hotel  early  after  dark,  then 
repaired  to  Johnnie's,  where  they  took  seats  at  a  table  in  the  rear 
of  the  cafe. 

"  That  Bertha  Rosenstin  feels  aggrieved  at  you  because  you 
received  her  declaration  of  love  at  Sam  Waxelbaum's  so  coldly," 
said  Millyard's  friend. 


Meets  Delarue.— Is  Kidnapped.  31 

"  Made  love  to  me  at  Sam  Waxelbaum's  ?  "  ejaculated  Millyard 
in  surprise.  "lam  not  aware  of  her  making  a  declaration  of  love 
to  me  at  his  house.  She  said  something  about  loving  me  when 
she  met  me  on  Canal  street." 

"  That  is  what  she  tells.  She  told  her  father  so,  and  that  is  why 
he  thought  you  had  induced  her  to  leave  him  and  her  home  and 
go  in  hiding  for  you.  She  told  him  she  made  love  to  you  at  Sam 
Waxelbaum's." 

"  Since  I  am  reminded  of  it  I  believe  the  girl  did  hint  at  some- 
thing of  the  kind.  But  I  paid  no  attention  to  it.  I  thought  she 
was  jesting,  or  merely  saying  something  to  be  pleasant,  compli- 
mentary, or  flirting  to  pass  awav  the  time.  I  had  no  idea  of  the 
woman  being  in  earnest,  as  it  was  the  first  time  I  had  ever  seen 
her,  to  know  her. 

"  She  is  a  handsome  woman,"  continued  Millyard  after  a  pause. 
"  She  told  me,  as  I  say  to-day  on  Canal  street  that  she  loved  me. 
However,  I  am  engaged  to  a  lady  in  another  state." 

"  Sam  Waxelbaum  put  it  into  her  head  to  make  love  to  you," 
said  Millyard's  companion.  Meantime  their  glasses  were  being 
continually  refilled  with  'alf  an'  'alf — a  poor  man's  drink,  but  said 
to  be  an  awfully  good  one.  '  He  told  her  it  was  the  proper  thing 
to  do.  But  when  you  received  her  advances  so  coldly  she  per- 
ceived at  once  that  she  had  made  a  great  mistake.  She  says  it 
troubled  her  in  mind.  When  she  got  home  that  night,  which  is 
over  her  father's  jewelry  store  on  the  opposite  side  of  Poydras 
street  from  Sam's,  she  told  her  father  about  it.  He  then  scolded 
her  and  beat  her  with  a  walking  cane.  Next  morning  when  she 
was  in  Poydras  market  making  purchases  of  food  for  the  family 
for  the  day  she  passed  you  and  you  refused  to  recognize  her.  That 
was  rather  galling,  so  she  decided  to  carry  out  her  intention  and 
leave  her  father  and  stepmother's  house.  She  went  to  a  lady 
friend's  house  in  French-town,  where  she  remained  quite  a  week, 
then  returned  home. 

"  The  banker  on  Camp  street  went  to  see  her  several  times  and 
wanted  her  to  go  with  him.  He  is  supplying  the  money  to  the 
police  to  hound  you  down.  She  says  his  idea  is  that,  if  he  can  get 
you  out  of  the  way,  inasmuch  as  she  loves  you,  then  she  will  go 
with  him. 

"  The  police,  or  someone  has  succeeded  in  persuading  Gonzaze 
Henrique  to  believe  that  you  were  trying  to  entice  his  daughter 
away  from  her  home  also,  as  she  was  out  from  home  that  night 


32  The  Lady  of  New  Orleans. 

without  notice  to  the  family.  That  is  the  reason  he  tried  to  shoot 
you,  and  says  he  will  do  it  yet." 

'  Who  is  this  Gonzaze  Henrique  ?  "  inquired  Millyard. 

'  He  is  a  broker  on  Carondelet  street.  One  of  the  force  told  me 
he  is  nearly  crazy  about  the  matter.  It  will  be  best  for  you  to 
keep  out  of  his  way." 

"  But  I  must  go  to  court  in  the  morning  and  appear  as  a  witness 
against  him.     Can  you  see  him  and  explain  the  affair?  " 

"  I  will  try ;  though  I  am  in  a  sad  plight  now  for  such  business, 
or  any  other." 

'  You  must  have  a  new  outfit  of  clothing.  I  will  give  you  some 
bills  to  collect  for  me  in  the  morning,  and  when  that  is  done  you 
can  get  a  new  suit.     Who  is  this  banker  on  Camp  street  ?  " 

'  Villeguini,  Honore  Villeguini.  He  is  a  schemer  and  is  a 
dangerous  man.  He  will  scruple  at  nothing,  especially  to  secure 
Bertha.  I  know  him  well.  I  caught  him  in  a  bad  job  once  and 
have  the  dead  wood  on  him." 

Millyard  reflected  a  few  moments,  then  asked : 

"  What  would  you  suggest  for  me  to  do  ?  " 

"  Get  a  good  lawyer  and  fight  it  out  in  court.  I  will  do  the  out- 
side work  for  you." 

"  I  have,  I  guess,  the  best  in  town,  Judge  Cotton." 

"  The  very  man.     I  know  him  well." 

"  Here  is  some  money,"  said  Millyard,  suiting  the  action  to  the 
word.  '  Take  it  and  get  yourself  lodging  and  breakfast.  Then 
see  me  at  court  in  the  morning."  It  was  midnight  when  they  sep- 
arated. 

At  the  Recorder's  Court  the  lawyer  for  Henrique  plead  guilty 
for  his  client  to  the  charge  of  disturbing  the  peace,  for  which  a 
nominal  fine  was  imposed ;  then  waived  examination  on  the  charge 
of  attempting  to  shoot  another,  and  gave  bond  for  his  appearance 
at  the  district  criminal  court. 

Upon  motion  of  Judge  Cotton,  Mr.  Henrique  was  required  to 
give  a  bond  in  the  sum  of  one  thousand  dollars  to  keep  the  peace 
as  to  Alpha  Millyard. 

Emerging  from  the  dingy  court  room  Millyard  was  joined  by 
his  new  found  friend,  who  had  something  special  and  very  import- 
ant to  tell.     They  repaired  to  Johnnie's. 

'  You  have  not  asked  me  my  name,  but  I  must  volunteer  and 
tell  you :  My  name  is  Mike  Delarue.  I  have  a  straight  tip  that 
plans  have  been  formed  and  are  ready  for  execution  to  kidnap 


Meets  Delarue.—  Is  Kidnapped.  33 

you  and  send  you  to  some  foreign  port,  any  port.  It  is  the  inten- 
tion to  ship  you  to-night  or  in  the  morning.  One  of  the  boys  told 
me  he  heard  of  it  on  the  sly.  If  you  are  forcibly  taken  by  anyone 
be  sure  and  get  me  word  to  Johnnie's  here  by  some  means,  any 
means,  so  I  will  know  the  messenger  is  from  you.  I  can  inveigle 
him  to  disclose  your  whereabuts,  or,  I  can  follow  him." 

"  I  wonder  if  anyone  will  be  so  bold  and  dastardly  as  to  attempt 
to  kidnap  me  or  any  other  man  right  here  in  New  Orleans !  " 
exclaimed  Millyard. 

"  It  is  the  best  place  in  the  world  for  kidnapping,"  said  Delarue. 
"  There  are  always  many  tramp  vessels  here  besides  the  regular 
liners ;  a  man  can  be  kidnapped  in  broad  daylight  and  shipped  al- 
most any  hour  of  the  day  with  perfect  ease.  There  are  men  on 
the  levee  who  would  do  the  job  neatly  and  with  surety  for 
twenty-five  dollars.  All  that  is  necessary  is  for  some  man  with 
the  money  and  influence  to  secure  the  passage  in  order  to  kidnap 
and  ship  almost  any  man  in  town.  Villeguini  could  do  it,  and 
he  is  the  kind  of  man  who  would  do  it." 

"  Here  is  a  ten-dollar  bill  additional,  Mr.  Delarue  ;  it  is  all  I  have 
on  hand,  but  it  will  pay  your  expenses  a  few  days,  probably  until 
this  thing  is  over.  Should  they  not  kidnap  me  before  morning 
come  to  my  office  on  Carondelet  and  get  some  bills  to  collect  for 


me." 


Judge  Cotton's  office  was  on  the  south  side  of  Canal  street  just 
east  of  St.  Charles  street.  Mr.  Millyard  went  and  saw  Judge 
Cotton.  After  which  he  walked  up  Canal  and  turned  into  Camp 
street,  intending  to  board  a  Camp  street  car  and  go  for  a  lunch 
at  his  boarding-house,  it  being  then  near  one  o'clock.  He  was 
walking  leisurely,  expecting  a  car  every  moment. 

Millyard  got  to  the  corner  of  Gravier  street  when  a  heavy-built, 
brawny  man,  who  had  every  appearance  of  being  a  longshore- 
man, or  a  tramp  sailor,  accosted  him  abruptly  as  he  grasped  Mill- 
yard's  right  wrist  with  his  left  hand  and  exhibiting  a  hideous- 
looking  dirk  knife  in  his  rirrht  hand,  hid  from  public  view  beneath 
the  ample  sleeve  of  his  sailor-like  blue  flannel  shirt,  commanded : 

"  See  this  ?  Don't  yer  '  cheep  '  young  mon,  er  you're  a  goner. 
You'll  have  to  come  with  me;  you're  wanted.  Come  up  this 
'er  way. 

The  ungainly  giant  forced  poor  Millyard  along  as  though  he 
were  a  mere  boy. 
3 


34  The  Lady  of  New  Orleans. 


CHAPTER  V. 

THE  DAGO  TAKES  A  TUMBLE. 

Mr.  Millyard  was  hustled  up  Gravier  street  to  the  river  front, 
thence  down  the  river  across  the  foot  of  Canal  street  on  and  on  to 
the  ship  sailors'  quarter  at  the  great  bend  in  the  river. 

He  was  conducted  through  a  narrow  archway  or  hole  through 
the  wall,  which  was  no  wider  than  a  door,  or  much  higher  to  the 
arch  above  than  was  the  ruffian's  head. 

They  emerged  into  a  courtyard  in  the  rear  of  the  buildings ; 
thence  went  up  a  narrow  stairway,  with  a  baluster  on  the  outer 
side  and  a  brick  wall  on  the  other  side,  and  landed  on  a  little 
four  by  six  feet  platform  supported  by  four  scanty  four-inch 
square  scantlings  as  posts. 

From  the  platform  Millyard  was  ushered  into  a  room,  devoid  of 
light,  and  midway  in  the  dark  corridor,  where  he  was  left  after 
being  admonished  to  rest  easy  until  he  was  called  for. 

As  the  door  to  the  room  was  being  closed,  which  would  shut 
him  in  the  dark,  Millyard  spoke  his  first  word  to  the  man.  He 
said: 

"  Can  you  go  for  me  to  Johnnie's  saloon  on  the  corner  of  Caron- 
delet  and  Gravier  streets  and  inquire  of  one  of  the  clerks  or  bar- 
tenders for  a  Mr.  Mike  Delarue,  and  when  you  find  him  tell  him 
to  send  me  my  watch  and  that  hundred  dollars?  Tell  him  I  am 
going  away  and  that  I  need  them;  I  can't  come  to  see  him  to- 
night." 

"  Hadn't  yer  better  kinder  writ  'im  er  note,  young  mon?  Yer 
see,  'e  wouldn't  know  me,  an'  wouldn't  sen'  it  jes'  on  my  say  so," 
drawlingly  retorted  the  villainous  old  kidnapper. 

"  All  right,"  replied  Millyard ;  "  give  me  some  paper  and  I  will 
write  him  a  note." 

"  Humph !    There  ain't  a  bit  er  writin'  paper  in  ther  craft." 

"  Get  me  an  old  piece  of  wrapping  paper,  then." 

"  I  k'n  git  yer  some  whut  I  got  ther  herrin's  wropped  up  in." 


The  Dago  Takes  a  Tumble.  35 

The  man  stood  outside  holding  the  door  with  one  hand  while  Mill- 
yard  was  inside  in  the  dark. 

"  That  will  do.    Any  kind  of  paper." 

The  note  written  was  as  follows : 

"  Mr.  Mike  Delarue,  at  Johnnie's. — Dear  Sir :  Please  send  me 
by  bearer  of  this  my  hundred  dollars  and  my  watch.  I  am  goirg 
away  and  will  need  them.  This  shall  be  your  receipt  for  same. 
Yours  faithfully,  Alpha  Millyard." 

When  the  great,  blowzy  longshoreman,  for  he  was  a  longshore- 
man and  worked  on  the  levee,  took  the  note  and  glanced  at  it  he 
handed  it  back  to  Millyard  and  asked  him  to  read  it.  When  the 
note  had  been  read  to  him  he  took  it  and  departed  in  high  glee.  He 
no  doubt  expected  that  he  would  easily  make  the  hundred  dollars 
and  the  watch. 

Mr.  Millyard  rested  comparatively  contented  on  the  old  thing 
which  for  want  of  a  name  was  called  a  bed.  He  knew  he  was  in 
imminent  peril  of  his  personal  liberty,  although  the  ruffian  had 
not  mentioned  anything  of  that  nature  to  him.  He  had  heard 
enough  from  Delarue  to  put  him  on  due  guard. 

Several  hours  elapsed  and  Mr.  Millyard  had  not  heard  the 
sound  of  a  human  voice  or  seen  a  ray  of  light. 

Finally  about  seven  o'clock,  a  quaint,  fat  old  woman  with  a 
cracked  voice,  spoke  in  a  loud  tone  at  his  door,  screeching: 

"  Mistar,  will  yer  have  a  bit  'er  dinner?  " 

"  Yes,  if  you  please,  dear  madam ;  also  some  water  to  quench 
my  dreadful  thirst.  Has  the  man  come  back?"  replied  Mill- 
yard. 

"  He  takes  'is  time.  He'll  come,"  soothingly  the  old  soul  an- 
swered, Millyard's  endearing  expression  no  doubt  having  had 
effect.  Fat  old  women  are  as  susceptible  to  compliments  as  any 
other  person. 

Recumbent  on  the  little  cot  in  the  room  Millyard  had  been 
wondering  all  the  afternoon  what  was  to  be  the  outcome  of  the 
outrageous  proceedings. 

The  old  lady  served  him  a  lunch,  which  she  called  dinner. 

An  hour  subsequent  the  dowdy,  big  longshoreman  returned  blus- 
tering and  fierce. 

"  The  dom'd  mon  wuz  too  'oly  drunk  ter  know  w'at  'e  wuz 
doin',"  said  the  fellow  uncouthly,  as  he  held  the  door  open.  "  He 
sed  fer  yer  ter  go  ter  'ell  on  a  wheelbarrer,  an'  wait  'till  'e  come. 
He  treated  ter  sevril  blowsin'  big  swigs  er  mighty  good  licker." 


36  The  Lady  of  New  Orleans. 

The  longshoreman  showed  evidence  of  his  having  taken  "  sevril 
blowsin'  big  swigs."  He  went  on :  "  See  here  bud,  they  got  me 
ter  git  yer  so  they  k'n  ship  yer  off 'n  a  skipper  fur  Liverpul.  She 
lays  'longside  ther  wharf  out  thar.  I  hopt  ter  load  'er.  Ther's  a 
mon  comin'  ter  see  yer  ter-night.  Meb-be  'e  kin  tell  yer  more  'bout 
it'n  I  kin.  They  sez  yer  run  er  way  an'  stole  er  gal,  an'  they're 
goin'  ter  sen'  yer  back." 

"  Did  they  tell  you  where  I  am  from  ?  "  inquired  Millyard  com- 
placently. He  had  a  sinister  motive  in  asking  this  question.  The 
reply  might  indicate  to  what  place  he  was  to  be  transported. 

"  Nuck.  They  just  sed  yer  wuz  run  er  way,  an'  p'intid  yer 
out'n  tole  me  how  ter  ketch  yer,  an'  I  kotch  yer ;  yer  know  how 
that  wuz  ?  " 

"  Who  was  it  pointed  me  out  to  you  ?  What  is  his  name  ?  " 
asked  Millyard  in  a  friendly  manner.  "  Conie  now,  you  be 
friendly  with  me  and  I  will  be  friendly  witn  you.  I  may  be  able 
to  do  you  a  good  turn.  I  am  a  lawyer.  If  we  can  get  that  hun- 
dred dollars  and  my  watch  I  will  give  you  half  of  the  money." 

"  Yo'  see,  it  wer'  jest  this  er  way :  Mister  Mullinax  asked  me  ef 
I  had  er  spar'  bed'n  my  'ouse.  I  tole  'im  I  did'n,  'e  sez,  could  yer 
'rest  er  mon?  I  told  'im  I  could,  as  I'd  done  it  afore.  Then  I 
'restid  yer.  'Fore  this  ere  time  I  hearn  um  say  they  wuz  goin'  ter 
ship  yer  back  ter  Liverpul  on  ther  Magenter." 

"  Magenter?    What  ship  is  that?  "  inquired  Millyard. 

"  Don't  cher  know  ther  Magenter?  "  the  man  replied,  as  if  dis- 
gusted. "  Well,  yer  ain't  bin  in  Nor-leens  long,  nor'n  Liverpul 
much,  not  ter  know  'bout  ther  Magenter.  She's  a  buster,  a 
reg'ler  sea-cleaver.  She  carries  more  stuff" n  any  shio  whut  goes 
out'n  this  'ere  port ;  an'  she  brings  back  more." 

"  Why  did  they  not  carry  me  to  the  police  station,  and  not  tres- 
pass on  a, good  man  like  you,  who  has  to  work  for  his  living?  ' 

"  O,  bless  yer,  bud ;  they  paid  me.  I  tole  um  I  wouldn't  do  it 
fer  less'n  twenty-five  samoleons,  an'  'e  jerked  er  out'n  give  um  ter 
me  quicker'n  a  fish  can  flirt.  So  I'm  paid,  an'  hafter  keep  my 
faith.  I  treated  yer  mon  whut's  got  yer  watch'n  mun'  as  much  ez 
'e  treated  me.  'E  foller'd  me  nearly  ter  the  'ole  'n  ther  wall,  jest 
ferninst  ther  Magenter  over  ther." 

"  Why  didn't  you  bring  him  on  here,  man,  and  let  me  get  my 
watch  and  money  ?  He  flipped  you  ?  "  Millyard  never  heard  the 
phrase  before,  but  he  wanted  to  say  something  that  would  appeal 
to  the  fellow's  pride. 


The  Dago  Takes  a  Tumble.  37 

"  No  'e  didn't !  'E  wuz  too  'oly  drunk.  'E  sed  'e  wuz  goin'  back 
ter  Johnnie's."  The  Dago,  he  was  a  Dago,  was  puffing  and  tug- 
ging at  a  half -burned  thing  resembling  a  cigar  stump,  one,  which 
with  another  one  he  received  in  return  for  five  cents  of  his  nefar- 
iously earned  money. 

"  My  good  man,"  said  Millyard,  calmly,  "  you  are  doing  me 
wrong.  But  if  you  will  get  me  my  watch  and  half  of  my  hundred 
dollars  I  will  be  satisfied.  Can't  you  go  again  and  bring  him,  or 
the  money  and  watch,  here?  If  I  go  with  you  I  am  sure  you  can 
find  him.  Can't  you  take  me  with  you?  A  great  big  man  like 
you  is  surely  not  afraid  of  my  running  away  from  you  ?  " 

"  Not  a  bit  uv  vit,  me  lad.  You  may  come  wid  me  az  quick  as 
I've  a  bit  er  dinner.  Come  out'n  sit  on  ther  porch  till  I  eat."  It 
was  then  about  ten  o'clock. 

Millyard  was  escorted  out  on  the  diminutive  porch  at  the  head 
of  the  stairway,  where  a  rickety  old  chair  was  placed  as  a  seat  for 
him  while  the  Dago  ate  his  dinner  in  the  house. 

Becoming  restless  Millyard  made  a  slight  noise.  Immediately 
he  heard  a  subdued  trilling  whistle,  like  that  of  a  mocking-bird 
softly  singing  in  subdued  tones  in  the  night-time  in  a  sick  per- 
son's room.  He  recognized,  perhaps  intuitively,  that  it  was  a  sig- 
nal from  his  friend,  Delarue.  He  answered  it  in  the  same  strain  as 
near  as  he  could.  There  was  an  answer  the  same.  Millyard's  heart 
fluttered  with  joy.  He  recognized  that  Delarue  was  true  to 
him. 

'  I  will  always  help  a  tramp  after  this,"  he  muttered  to  him- 
self. Yet  he  was  unable  to  decide  what  was  best  for  him  to  do. 
He  leaned  over  the  low  railing  that  was  round  the  "  porch,"  as 
the  Dago  longshoreman  called  it,  and  spoke  in  as  low  voice  as  he 
could : 

"  Is  that  you,  Delarue  ?  "  There  was  no  other  reply  only  the 
same  trilling  tones  as  before. 

'  We  are  going  out  to  hunt  for  you  directly,"  whispered  Mill- 
yard. 

"  Hold  the  fort,  I'll  be  with  you.  If  you  leave  I  may  miss  you," 
half  hissed  Delarue,  for  it  was  he.  Millyard  saw  his  "pale  shadow 
in  the  courtyard,  as  he  stealthily  but  rapidly  made  his  way  through 
the  hole  in  the  wall  toward  the  street. 

This  was  weirdly  interesting  to  Alpha  Millyard.  His  plans 
were  changing  rapidly  in  his  mind.  If  he  went  out  with  the  Dago 
it  would  be  contrary  to  Delarue's  command.     If  the  Dago  fellow 


38  The  Lady  of  New  Orleans. 

required  him  to  go  he  did  not  understand  how  he  could  avoid  it. 
His  hopes  were  that,  when  he  was  out  in  town  at  night  with  the 
kidnapping  longshoreman  he  would  have  his  best  chance  to  elude 
him,  or  see  some  one  he  knew,  or  some  way  make  his  escape.  Be- 
sides, he  did  not  wish  to  see  the  man  whom  the  Dago  said  was 
coming. 

'  Ugh,  young  mon,  you're  here  yit,"  exclaimed  the  bluff  ruffian 
as  he  waddled  out  on  the  porch.  '  But  yer  didn't  know  there  wuz 
er  mon  down  ther  watchin'  yer  ter  see  as  whether  yer  tried  ter 
skape." 

'  No,  I  did  not,"  replied  Millyard  dolefully,  and  rubbing  his 
fingers  through  his  hair  reflectively.  He  wondered  if  the  man 
referred  to  was  Delarue,  or  if  he  himself  had  mistaken  another 
man  for  Delarue. 

Doubts  are  savage  ghosts  to  warp  men's  judgment.  And, 
doubts  at  times  arise  in  all  men's  minds. 

"  All  right,  laddie,  we'll  jist  go  up  town'n  see  ef  we  k'n  fine 
yer  'onery  mon  an'  git  that  watch 'n  spon."  He  meant  spondulix, 
money. 

Millyard  and  the  longshoreman  had  just  passed  into  Royal 
street  when  thev  met  a  nicelv  dressed  man  in  the  full  glare  of  a 
street  lamp,  who  accosted  the  kidnapper  and  spoke  to  him. 

Later  it  developed  to  Millyard  that  the  man  they  thus  met  was 
none  other  than  the  banker,  Villeguini.  Millyard  did  not  know 
him. 

A  few  moments  later  a  gentleman  they  were  meeting  greeted 
Millyard  by  name  and  was  in  the  act  of  offering  to  shake  hands 
when  the  Dago  grasped  Millyard's  arm  and  jerked  him  away.  He 
then  turned  and  led  Millyard  back  the  way  they  came. 

'  Yer  mon's  drunk'n  gone  ter  roost,"  ejaculated  the  illiterate 
'Dago,  somewhat  apologetically  for  his  action.  Millyard  dis- 
cerned that  the  Dago  had  perceived  that  he  was  taking  consider- 
able risk  in  allowing  his  prisoner  to  be  on  the  streets  at  night. 

'"  I  am  sorry  I  do  not  know  where  he  roosts,"  retorted  Mill- 
yard  as  they  were  retracing  their  steps. 

Millyard  had  been  looking  and  hoping  all  the  while,  more  for  a 
chance  to  make  a  break  and  escape  than  he  was  for  finding  Del- 
arue. He  was  apprehensive  about  accosting  a  policeman.  They 
were  he  knew,  or  thought  he  knew,  in  the  scheme  against 
him. 

"  Yoh  th-ar,  laddie ;  'e  makes  'is  boonk'n  ther  parks.    That's  ef 


The  Dago  Takes  a  Tumble.  39 

'e  ain't  saltid  yer  'undred.  We're  stuffin  sedge'n  er  hole'n  ther 
biler  tryin'  ter  fine  'im.  We'll  go  back  ter  ther  'ole  in  ther  vvall'n 
anker." 

When  they  came  to  a  little  French  wine  shop,  at  the  instance  of 
the  Dago,  they  entered.  After  repeating  drinks  three  of  four 
times,  the  Dago  taking  liquor,  they  resumed  their  journey  hole-in- 
the-wallward.  j 

Alpha  Millyard  was  amused  and  interested  even  if  an  outrage 
was  being  perpetrated  upon  him.  Perhaps  it  was  fortunate  and 
better  for  him  to  be  shipped  to  any  place  rather  than  remain  in 
New  Orleans  under  the  espionage  of  police  and  the  detectives,  and 
subject  to  be  sent  to  the  parish  prison  or  the  penitentiary,  or  to 
be  assassinated  at  any  moment.  These  were  the  thoughts  that 
reconciled  him  to  his  fate. 

As  they  entered  the  hole  in  the  wall  Millyard  heard  the  same 
kind  of  trilling  whistle  he  had  heard  earlier  in  the  night. 

'  Thar's  that  ar  feller  watchin'  fer  yer  ter  see't  choo  don't 
scape,"  remarked  the  longshoreman,  gleefully. 

Millyard  was  placed  in  the  same  dark  room  he  occupied  pre- 
viously. Resigned  to  his  fate  he  laid  himself  on  the  cot  without 
removing  his  clothing.  His  thoughts  were  desultory  and  Unsatis- 
factory. Presently  he  heard  the  peculiar  whistle  again  louder 
than  before.  He  was  sure  it  was  meant  for  him  and  for  his  wel- 
fare.    He  got  up  and  quietly  went  out  on  the  little  porch. 

"  Come  down  here  quick,"  shouted  a  voice  which  he  knew  to 
be  that  of  Delarue. 

Millyard  started  down  the  stairway  in  a  hurry.  As  he  nearly 
reached  the  landing  a  man  leaped  from  a  large  box  under  the 
stairway,  and,  rushing  round  in  front  of  the  steps,  said  in  a  low 
but  firm  voice : 

"  No  you  don't,  ^oung  man.  You  just  march  right  back  up- 
stairs and  go  to  bed  till  you're  called." 

Mr.  Millyard  recognized  him  as  the  detective  who  arrested  him 
the  first  time.  Millyard  had  no  weapon,  and  he  feared  to  rush  un- 
armed on  the  man.  In  this  dilemma  and  on  the  instant  another 
man  sprang  suddenly  forward  through  the  entrance  of  the  wall 
and  struck  the  detective  a  fearful  heavy  blow  on  the  head  with  a 
large  revolver  which  he  held  in  his  hand,  exclaiming : 

'  Throw  your  pistol  down  and  hold  up  your  hands,  quick,  or  I'll 
make  a  hole  through  you,  Volney."     It  was  Mike  Delarue. 

Volney,  the  detective,  hesitated. 


40  The  Lady  of  New  Orleans. 

"  Quick,  or  I'll  shoot,"  shouted  Delarue. 

Volney  cast  his  revolver  a  few  paces  aside. 

"  Now  march  out  there  in  the  yard,"  said  Delarue. 
Volney  backed  a  few  paces,  saying : 

"  I  am  an  officer,  sir;  I  arrest  you,  both  of  you." 
'  Not  much,  Volney.  You're  in  the  wrong  game.  Mr.  Mill- 
yard,  get  out  of  here.  I'll  attend  to  Volney.  He  can't  criminally 
kidnap  gentlemen  so  easy  as  he  thinks.  Volney,  we  will  have  you 
sent  up  to  Baton  Rouge  if  you  ever  interfere  in  the  least  with 
Mr.  Millyard  again.  Do  you  hear?  We  may  do  it  anyhow. 
Keep  out  of  our  way,  you  hear?  And  let  Mr.  Millyard  alone. 
We  have  the  dead  wood  on  you  now,  you  villain." 

At  that  moment  the  Dago  appeared  at  the  top  of  the  stairway 
and  started  down  the  steps  in  a  great  rush.  But  the  liquors  the 
man  had  drank  had  taken  effect.  His  foot  stumbled.  He  pitched 
head-foremost,  and  tumbling  over  and  over,  his  limp  body  landed 
on  the  ground  at  the  feet  of  Delarue. 

Millyard  rushed  to  the  unfortunate  man's  assistance  regardless 
of  the  entreaties  of  Delarue  to  "  come  on !  "  Delarue  receded 
through  the  hole  in  the  wall  to  the  street.  Volney  also  came 
to  the  aid  of  the  injured  man. 

Millyard  and  Volney  raised  the  groaning  man  and  placed  him 
in  a  sitting  posture  against  the  post  supporting  the  railing  of  the 
steps. 

The  kidnapper's  right  arm  was  broken.  He  was  bleeding  pro- 
fusely at  the  nostrils,  and  there  was  a  fearful  gash  on  his 
forehead.     He  was  unconscious. 

"  We  should  take  him  up-stairs  and  send  for  a  doctor,"  said 
Millyard. 

As  they  attempted  to  do  so  Delarue  yelled  again  for  Millyard 
to  come  on.  But  Mr.  Millyard  persisted  until  he  and  Volney  got 
the  man  in  his  room  and  on  the  bed. 

"  Git  the  arnica,  quick,"  shouted  the  fat  wife  of  the  injured 
man  to  one  of  her  children  who  was  standing  near. 

"  Get  the  doctor,  quick,"  exclaimed  Millyard. 

Besides  the  other  injuries,  the  man's  nose  was  smashed  almost 
flat.  His  left  hip  was  out  of  joint,  and  it  seemed  as  if  his  skull 
was  fractured. 

"  There's  no  doctor  't  this  time  er  night,"  said  the  good-natured 
woman. 

"  Yes,  there  is,"  retorted  the  humanitarian,  Millyard.     "  Any 


The  Dago  Takes  a  Tumble.  41 

doctor  will  come,  if  you  send  for  him.    Where  is  the  nearest  doc- 
tor?   I  will  go  myself." 

'  There's  one  up'n  Royal  street,  but  he's  too  fur,"  answered 
the  woman,  briskly.  "  Git  the  doctor  up  here't  the  sailors' 
boarding-house." 

In  haste  down  the  stairs  Millyard  went ;  then  through  the  hole 
in  the  wall,  on  out  to  the  street,  where  he  met  Delaure,  who  was 
waiting  in  a  tremor  of  suspense. 

"  Good  gracious !  "  exclaimed  Delarue.  "  You  are  the  most 
audaciously  unconcerned,  reckless  man  I  ever  saw.  Don't  you 
know  that  fellow,  Volney,  is  liable  to  put  up  a  job  on  you  and 
swear  that  you  killed  that  Dago?    Did  he  get  killed?  " 

"  I  hope  not,"  replied  Millyard,  calmly.  "  But  he  came  awfully 
near  it.  I  am  after  a  doctor.  Where  can  I  find  one?  The  old 
woman  said  there  is  one  at  the  sailors'  boarding-house." 

'  Yes ;  and  let  the  doctor  be  able  to  swear  to  your  identity," 
snapped  Delarue.  "  Now  that  you  are  free  from  the  villains  come 
with  me.  Let  Volney  get  the  doctor.  They  have  no  right  to  ex- 
pect you  to  get  one." 

"  I  would  not  do  so  only  for  the  sake  of  humanity,"  replied 
Millyard.  "  It  will  not  be  much  trouble  for  me  to  step  in  the 
sailors'  boarding-house  as  we  are  passing  and  send  word  by  the 
servant  to  the  doctor." 

Delarue  showed  Mr.  Millyard  the  boarding  house  when  they 
came  to  it,  and  Millyard  left  instructions  for  the  doctor. 

"  We  must  go  across  this  street  and  keep  on  the  by-streets. 
A/Tolney  will  be  sure  to  follow  as  soon  as  he  finds  you  do  not  re- 
turn with  the  doctor,"  remarked  Delarue,  now  more  calm,  as  the 
two  men  hurried  on  their  way  up  town. 

"  I  told  you  I  will  help  you,  and  I  will  do  it." 

"  Mike,   I   am  now   well   aware   of  that,"   returned   Millyard. 
'  You  impress  me  much.     I  must  confess  I  am  alarmed  by  your 
new  theory.    I  had  not  thought  of  the  affair  in  that  light." 


42  The  Lady  of  New  Orleans. 


CHAPTER  VI. 

KIDNAPPED  THIS  TIME. 

"  From  this  time  forth  you  must  never  beg  again  as  long  as 
you  remain  with  me,"  remarked  Mr.  Millyard  after  a  long  pause 
between  him  and  Delarue  as  they  were  nearing  the  Colonnade,  a 
French  hotel  on  Royal  street. 

"  No ;  I  shall  spruce  up  and  be  a  man  and  obtain  law  cases  for 
you.  I  can  meantime  study  law  in  your  office.  Shall  we  take 
something  in  the  Colonnade  after  our,  or  rather  your,  bitter  ex- 
perience of  the  day  and  night  ?  "     They  entered  the  hotel. 

A  drowsy  porter  agreed  to  serve  them  at  the  bar,  although  he 
did  not  understand  the  business,  and  it  was  then  after  three 
o'clock. 

Being  refreshed  they  wended  their  way  up  Royal  street  to 
Canal  street  and  crossing  the  same  were  about  to  enter  St. 
Charles  street  when  two  policemen  confronting  them  announced 
that  they  were  under  arrest. 

"  Dan,  what  do  you  want  with  me,  a  poor  devil?  "  said  Delarue 
to  the  policeman  nearest  him. 

"  Come  with  me  to  the  central,  Mike,  and  see,"  returned  the 
fellow. 

The  other  policeman  jerked  Mr.  Millyard  by  the  collar  of  his 
coat  and  marched  him  off  up  Canal  street  toward  the  river.  It 
is  up  hill  and  toward  the  east  to  the  river  on  Canal  street. 

"What  am  I  arrested  for?"  demanded  Millyard,  who  was 
being  used  very  roughlv.  "  You  people  are  going  too  far  with 
me." 

"  What  cher  doin' out  this  time'n  the  mornin' ?  Eh?  Where've 
you  been  ?  You're  a  sucker.  Been  with  Mike  Delarue.  Where's 
yer  shootin'  alley?  Bloke  bub,  we've  got  you  this  time.  We're 
goin'  to  ship  you  to  where  you  can't  git  back  soon." 

"  If  you  have  me  under  arrest  take  me  to  the  station-house  and 
not  in  a  direction  from  it,  you  villain,"  exclaimed  Millyard,  as  he 


Kidnapped  this  Time.  43 

jerked  himself  free  from  the  grasp  of  the  fellow  and  backed  him- 
self against  the  brick  wall  of  a  store,  at  the  same  time  drawing 
a  very  small  tortoise-shell-handled  penknife  from  his  vest  pocket. 
He  then  added : 

"  First  tell  me,  sir,  the  nature  of  the  charge  on  which  I  am 
arrested  by  you,  or  I  will  not  budge  a  step  unless  in  self-defense." 

The  policeman  drew  his  club  from  his  belt  and,  advancing 
quickly,  whacked  Mr.  Millyard  a  blow  on  the  head  with  the 
billet,  which,  had  it  not  been  parried  to  some  extent  by  Millyard's 
left  arm,  would  have  cracked  his  skull. 

The  blow  dazed  him  for  several  moments.  But  all  his  vitality 
being  centered  in  the  cause,  he  quickly  recovered.  Millyard 
sprang  at  his  assailant  and  made  a  sweeping  strike  with  the 
little  penknife,  the  short  blade  obtruding  between  his  thumb  and 
index  finger.  Quick  as  a  flash  of  lightning  the  little  knife  blade 
slashed  across  the  man's  jaw  from  the  upper  part  of  the  left  ear 
ranging  downward  near  to  the  point  of  the  chin.  In  another 
instant  Millyard  had  seized  the  policeman's  revolver,  just  in  time 
to  prevent  the  man  from  shooting  him  full  in  the  face. 

"  I  am  cut,"  proclaimed  the  policeman. 

In  wrestling  the  revolver  from  his  grasp,  Millyard  had  shoved 
the  policeman  backward  to  the  sidewalk,  landing  him  in  a  sitting 
posture,  when  he  clasped  both  hands  on  his  cheek  and  chin. 

"  Good  heavens,  have  I  killed  the  man  ?  "  were  the  first  thoughts 
that  flashed  in  Millyard's  mind.  "  I  did  not  mean  to  kill  him. 
Now  they  will  have  a  cause  for  putting  me  in  prison.  If  I  flee 
he  knows  me  and  I  will  be  captured.  Whether  they  do  or  not  I 
have  the  manhood  to  face  all  my  acts.  I  will  assist  the  man 
and  meet  the  consequences." 

Millyard  asked  the  man  for  his  handkerchief,  and  was  pre- 
paring to  place  it  over  his  jaw  when  the  other  policeman  who  had 
started  off  with  Delarue  walked  briskly  up  to  where  they  were 
and  asked  abruptly  :  , 

"  What  is  the  matter,  Lum?  " 

'  This  fellow's  cut  my  throat,"  he  whispered  in  reply,  as  the 
other  blew  his  whistle. 

Mr.  Millyard  had  already  seen  that  the  injury  was  not  serious; 
only  a  gash  across  his  cheek  on  the  lower  part  and  not  on  the 
throat. 

"  I  did  it  in  self-defense,"  interposed  Millyard.  "  And  you, 
both  of  you,  shall  hear  further  from  this.    He  was  taking  me  away 


44  The  Lady  of  New  Orleans. 

from  the  station-house,  not  toward  it ;  was  attempting  to  kidnap 
me  as  I  was  to-day,  and  you  were  aiding  and  abetting.  I  will 
have  you  both  indicted  and  discharged  from  the  police  force. 
You  must  learn  that  you  cannot  kidnap  gentlemen,  or  any  other 
person." 

Another  policeman,  who  had  ran  to  the  scene,  grabbed  Millyard 
and  hustled  him  most  indecently  to  the  central  police  station. 
Without  being  permitted  even  to  wash  the  blood  from  his  face 
and  hair  he  was  locked  in  a  dungeon-like  cell  on  the  first  floor. 

Xext  morning  in  the  Recorder's  Court,  Mr.  Millyard  was  re- 
manded to  the  parish  prison  to  await  the  outcome  of  the  police- 
man's wound. 

No  case  was  made  against  Delarue.  He  was  discharged  from 
the  prison  in  the  night  soon  after  the  policeman  who  arrested  him 
sent  him  there. 

Mr.  Millyard  remained  in  the  parish  prison  the  balance  of  the 
week. 

Monday  morning  he  was  taken  before  the  Recorder  and  dis- 
charged. Judge  Cotton  was  on  hand.  He  had  seen  the  policeman 
who  was  cut  and  the  latter  acknowledged  himself  to  be  in  the 
fault.  Delarue,  who  was  also  in  court,  had  told  the  policeman  if 
he  prosecuted  in  the  matter  that  Mr.  Millyard  would  prosecute 
him  criminally  for  false  arrest,  as  well  as  sue  the  city  for  damages 
on  that  account. 

Delarue  joined  Millyard  as  the  latter  was  about  to  part  from 
Tudgfe  Cotton  at  the  entrance  of  the  filthv  court-room,  and  im- 
parted  the  information,  which  he  had  obtained  confidentially,  that 
other  plans  were  already  matured  whereby  Millyard  was  to  be 
kidnapped  immediately,  or  as  soon  as  possible,  and  shipped  to 
France. 

"  If  there  is  anything  more  of  that  nature  going  on,  young  gen- 
tleman," said  the  sedate  old  ex-Judge,  "  you  must  inform  me  at 
once.  Remember,  Mr.  Millyard,  I  will  aid  you  all  I  can ;  only  let 
me  know." 

"  There  is  that  Volney  following  us,"  exclaimed  Delarue  to 
Millyard  after  they  parted  from  the  Judge. 

"  Goodness,  Mike,"  said  Alpha,  "  don't  mention  detectives  or 
policemen.  My  nerves  are  unstrung  and  cease  their  action  at  the 
thought  of  one  of  those  swinehounds." 

"  Dennis  Rooney  told  me  they  propose  to  prove  that  you  ab- 
ducted Bertha  Rosenstin,  or,  in  any  event,  that  you  ruined  her 


Kidnapped  this  Time.  45 

and  now  refuse  to  marry  her.  She  is  expected  to  side  with  them 
in  her  testimony  against  you,  because  she  is  so  desperately  in 
love,  or  infatuated  with  you  that  she  will  say  or  do  anything  to 
gain  you  for  her  own.  She  will  hope  for  you  to  compromise  and 
marry  her.  The  banker,  Villeguini,  is  encouraging  her  to  this, 
and  Sam  Waxelbaum  is  aiding  in  behalf  of  Villeguini,  who  wants 
you  sent  to  the  penitentiary  so  you  cannot  compromise  or  marry 
her.  Villeguini  will  scruple  at  nothing  to  accomplish  his  aims. 
He  told  Bertha  so,  though  in  other  terms.  Sam  Wax,  has  been 
to  see  your  boarding-house  man  and  said  something  to  incur  his 
displeasure  with  you.     He  says  he  is  disgusted  with  you." 

'  I  must  go  and  see  Mr.  Frank  right  away.  My  trunk  and  all 
my  clothes  are  there,''  said  Millyard  in  return  as  they  were  enter- 
ing Johnnie's.  "  I  have  not  helped  him  any  on  our  collaboration 
in  nearly  two  weeks.  But  thanks,  it  was  nearly  finished ;  Mr. 
Frank  may  have  it.  Look,  Mike,  there  is  that  longshoreman 
Dago.  His  arm  is  in  a  sling.  But  I  do  not  understand  how  he 
can  be  walking  on  that  broken  leg  this  soon." 

"  Made  of  metal ;  they  can  stand  anything,"  returned  Mike, 
laconically.  "  He's  looking  for  you.  There,  he  saw  us.  We 
must  slip  out  the  back  way." 

Out  on  the  banquet,  as  the  people  of  New  Orleans  call  the 
sidewalk,  they  debated  and  decided  to  go  and  see  Judge  Cotton 
at  once. 

When  they' had  related  the  circumstances  to  Judge  Cotton  the 
good  old  man  counseled  that  they  go  with  him  and  inform  the 
Administrator  of  Police  about  the  whole  matter. 

"  I  will  look  into  it,"  said  the  functionary  of  that  city  called 
the  "  Administrator  of  Police,"  to  Judge  Cotton  when  Delarue 
had  concluded  the  narration,  as  he  slammed  his  hand  on  a  little 
silver  bell  that  was  on  the  desk. 

A  messenger  appeared  immediately,  to  whom  the  head  of  the 
Police  department  of  New  Orleans  said : 

"  Inform  the  chief  of  police  and  the  chief  of  detectives  that  I 
want  to  see  them  immediately  after  lunch.  Judge,  I  will  let  you 
know  about  this  in  the  morning,  if  you  will  take  the  trouble  to 
call  as  you  are  on  your  way  to  your  office." 

Millyard  and  Delarue  passed  the  afternoon  in  quiet  together. 
The  calm  was  just  before  the  storm. 

Millyard  was  particularly  careful  not  to  venture  out  from  home 
that  evening  after  dinner.     He  remained  and  worked  with  Mr. 


46  The  Lady  of  New  Orleans. 

Frank  until  a  late  hour  before  retiring  to  sleep.  He  slept  in  a 
room  fronting  on  a  narrow  passageway  on  the  side  of  the  house. 
A  stairway  led  down  beside  the  house  at  the  end  of  the  front  yard. 
The  passageway,  or  upper  balcony,  was  covered.  There  were 
other  lodgers  in  other  rooms  all  fronting  on  the  passageway, 
among  them  a  police  officer. 

New  Orleans  has  more  balconies  and  verandas  extending  full 
width  of  the  wide  sidewalks  than  any  other  city  in  the  world. 
Their  grand  Mardi  Gras  festivities  brought  this  about. 

The  night  was  hot,  and  Millyard  had  left  his  front  window 
raised. 

About  four  o'clock  in  the  morning  Millyard  was  awakened  by 
three  men  in  his  room.  One  of  them  was  the  disabled  Dago 
longshoreman.  Mr.  Millyard  was  overpowered  and  something 
was  inserted  in  his  mouth  before  he  could  make  an  outcry.  He 
was  ordered  to  dress  himself  quickly  and  make  no  noise  about  it. 
When  ready  they  opened  the  door  and  marched  him  out,  thence 
to  a  hack  in  waiting  diagonally  across  the  street.  He  was  rapidly 
driven  to  the  wharf  almost  opposite  the  hole  in  the  wall.  He 
was  at  once  conducted  on  board  of  a  large  steamship  which  was 
ready  to  depart. 

Streaks  of  daylight  were  just  glistening  in  the  east  when  the 
great  steamer  glided  from  the  wharf  and  placidly  started  down 
the  mighty  Mississippi  River.  One  of  Millyard's  captors,  who 
had  stood  watch  over  him  closely  until  the  last  moment,  rushed 
ashore  just  as  the  gangway  was  being  hoisted. 

Alpha  Millyard  wras  abducted,  kidnapped ;  and  for  what  ? 


Stop  Der  Ship.  47 


CHAPTER  VII. 

STOP   DER   SHIP. 

Mr.  Millyard  resigned  himself  to  his  fate.  His  discourage- 
ment was  almost  complete.  It  is  a  hundred  miles  from  New  Or- 
leans to  the  bar  or  passes  of  that  father  of  waters,  so  he  had  time 
for  his  thoughts. 

The  sun  was  high  above  the  eastern  horizon  before  breakfast 
was  announced.  Mr.  Millyard  felt  little  like  eating.  Still  he 
quietly  approached  a  place  at  the  long  table  and  took  a  seat.  He 
ate  slowly  and  but  little,  sipping  at  the  coffee.  Just  before  finish- 
inng  he  glanced  down  the  table.  Far  down  on  the  other  side  of  the 
table  his  eyes  met  the  stare  of  those  of  Miss  Bertha  Rosenstin. 

Dropping  his  knife  and  fork  Millyard  quietly  rose  from  his 
seat  and  repaired  to  the  deck.  He  was  leaning  over  the  rail 
sadly  reflecting  on  what  her  presence  on  board  could  portend, 
when  Bertha  came  by  his  side. 

'  You  seem  to  wish  to  avoid  me,  Mr.  Millyard ;  is  such  the 
case  ?  But  I  suppose  by  your  being  on  this  steamer  we  are  to  take 
a  voyage  across  the  ocean  together,"  remarked  the  young  woman. 

"  Miss  Bertha,"  replied  Millyard,  turning  toward  her,  "  I  have 
had  so  mucl  trouble  on  your  account,  that  is,  rather,  on  account 
of  you,  that  I  do  not  know  what  to  do  or  what  to  say  in  reply. 
Please  tell  me  why  you  are  on  board  this  steamer,  and  whither 
you  are  going  ?  " 

"  I  am  being  sent  to  Hc.vre,  then  eventuallv  to  go  from  there 
out  near  Dresden  among  some  of  my  relatives.  I  have  been 
forced  to  make  the  trip.  I  may  add  it  is  on  account  of  you.  My 
father  so  decided  late  last  night." 

"  Then  is  it  prearranged  that  you  should  meet  me  on  this 
steamer?"  earnestly  asked  Millyard. 

"  Not  so  far  as  I  am  aware,"  replied  Bertha  slowly,  as  if 
thinking. 

"  I  may  as  well  tell  you  at  once ;  three  men  entered  my  room 


48  The  Lady  of  New  Orleans. 

about  four  o'clock  this  morning  and  by  force  brought  me  hither  to 
this  steamer  at  her  wharf.  About  daylight  I  was  conducted  on 
board  and  here  1  am.  It  seems  that  some  one  wishes  me  away 
from  New  Orleans  in  order  that  I  shall  be  away  from  you,  unless 
perchance  it  is  arranged  that  we  shall  be  thrown  together.  Of 
that  I  am  not  now  in  a  position  to  fathom.  But  this  I  know  full 
well ;  it  is  a  hallucination  with  some  one,  most  probably,  as  far  as 
I  can  learn  a  banker  on  Camp  street,  that  I  am  seeking  to 
appropriate  you  to  myself  by  stealth.  No  one  knows  any  better 
than  yourself  that  this  is  far  from  being  the  truth.  I  have  not 
sought  you,  nor  do  I  now  seek  you." 

He  hesitated  a  moment  or  two,  then  added :  "  But  it  is  a  very 
singular  coincidence  that  we  are,  against  our  wishes,  on  the  same 
steamer  crossing  the  ocean." 

"  Fate  hath  strange  fancies,  Mr.  Millyard,"  retorted  Bertha,  as 
she  moved  nearer  him  in  a  confiding  manner.  "  That  it  deals 
kindly  with  me  in  casting  us  together  instead  of  separating  us  I 
am  free  to  admit.  But  I  had  no  knowledge  of  or  hand  in  its  doing. 
Fate  has  never  condescended  to  consult  with  me.  I  am  a  stranger 
to  it  and  take  it  as  it  comes.    I  hope  you  will  not  regret  it." 

"  I  shall  be  glad  to  not  regret  it,  but  I  am  in  no  mood  for  any- 
thing to  ensue  which  will  allay  regret  or  cause  me  to  forget  the  out- 
rageous manner  in  which  I  have  been  treated.  I  was  not  allowed 
to  get  my  baggage  or  see  a  friend,  or  even  provide  myself  with 
money.  I  do  not  know  where  I  am  to  go  or  what  I  am  to  do.  I 
know  no  person  over  there.  I  will  be  thrown  on  the  world  in  a 
strange  land  without  a  change  of  clothing  or  a  penny.  My  only 
chance  will  be  to  see  the  American  consul  and  have  him  make  this 
steamship  company  return  me  here." 

"  As  for  money,  Mr.  Millyard,  you  shall  share  all  I  have  and 
more  besides,"  exultingly  exclaimed  Miss  Bertha.  "  I  have  money 
and  I  have  rich  relatives  over  there.  I  am  going  to  my  own 
mother's  brother.    He  is  very  wealthy." 

It  was  evident  that  Bertha  Rosenstin  was  desperately  infatuated 
with  Alpha  Millyard.  She  was  a  very  handsome  Jewish  woman. 
She  was,  she  said,  some  few  months  over  nineteen  years  of  age. 
A  fascinating,  voluptuous  creature  in  personal  appearance,  and 
fair  to  look  upon. 

She  doubtless  inherited  her  beauty  from  her  mother.  Her  father 
was  anything  but  prepossessing  in  personal  appearance.  He  came 
to  America  because  he  could  not  sustain  pleasant  relations  with 


Stop  Der  Ship.  49 

his  wife's  relatives.  They  were  above  his  station  in  society  and 
wealth. 

His  wife  did  not  survive  long  after  their  arrival  in  New  Orleans. 
It  was  no  secret  among  certain  of  their  set  that  her  death  was 
hastened  by  his  cruel  treatment.  Morritz  Rosenstin's  second  wife, 
the  stepmother  of  Bertha,  was  tyrant  over  him,  as  well  as  over 
Bertha,  and  kept  Morritz  under  subjection  so  far  as  she  was  con- 
cerned, while  poor  Bertha  was  tyrannized  over  by  both  of  them. 
Their  cruel  treatment  embittered  the  girl  against  her  father  and  his 
wife  and  their  home. 

Mr.  Millyard  was  evidently  doomed  to  the  young  lady.  It 
seemed  as  it  he  could  not  well  escape  it.  He  was  without  money 
and  without  a  change  of  clothing  on  a  steamship  bound  for  Havre, 
France,  where  he  had  not  a  friend  or  acquaintance,  save  her,  when 
they  got  there.  But  if  he  accepted  her  voluntary  proffer  of  assist- 
ance it  would  throw  him  on  her  tender  mercies  and  inevitably  es- 
tablish him  as  her  husband. 

****** 

Mike  Delarue  paced  up  and  down  the  levee  near  the  wharfs 
during  two  hours  before  daylight  watching  for  Alpha  Millyard. 
The  steamer  Hilda  seemed  to  be  the  only  vessel  making  prepara- 
tions to  depart  at  an  early  hour.  The  Hilda  lay  nearly  opposite 
the  hole  in  the  wall.  Delarue  .was  not  aware  that  Millyard  had 
been  kidnapped,  but  he  was  watching  as  a  precautionary  measure. 
Intuition,  that  has  something  to  do  with  many  acts  of  many  men, 
led  him  to  it. 

At  length  Mike  was  rewarded  for  his  vigilance.  Rapidly  gliding 
through  a  multitude  of  all  kinds  of  people  congregated  on  the 
levee,  a  number  of  whom  were  longshoremen  who  had  just  finished 
loading  the  last  of  the  steamer's  cargo,  and  along  the  devious 
route  left  open  by  a  miscellaneous  assortment  of  merchandise,  in- 
cluding bales  of  cotton  intended  for  other  vessels,  Delarue  recog- 
nized the  form  of  Alpha  Millyard  ushered  by  three  persons,  one 
of  whom  he  could  well  see  was  the  Dago  longshoreman  hobbling 
with  a  crutch  and  his  arm  in  a  sling.  There  was  no  mistaking 
these  two  men.    The  third  man  he  could  not  recognize. 

Delarue  whistled  as  he  did  on  the  night  at  the  hole  in  the  wall. 
Millyard  evinced  no  sign  of  having  heard  or  recognized  the  pecu- 
liar noise.  There  was,  as  it  were,  a  wall  of  merchandise  separating 
him  from  them.  Delarue  rushed  out  toward  the  street  a  hundred 
4 


50  The  Lady  of  New  Orleans. 

feet  or  more  distant,  intending  to  follow  in  the  same  path  the  kid- 
nappers had  taken  Millyard. 

"  Hello,  Mike,"  a  policeman  saluted. 

"  Hello,  Dan,  's  that  you  in  my  path  again  ?  "  Delarue  had 
rushed  on  the  same  policeman  who  lured  him  from  Millyard  the 
night  Mr.  Millyard  almost  cut  the  throat  of  the  other  policeman. 

"  Where  you  bound,  Mike?  Goin'  off  to  Havre  on  the  Hilda? 
You  got  plenty  time.  Take  it  easy.  What  you  got  there?" 
Delarue  had  not  himself  observed  or  thought  of  his  having  his 
revolver  in  his  hand,  so  intent  was  he  on  his  mission. 

"  I  am  after  those  villains  who  are  kidnapping  Mr.  Alpha 
Millyard,"   shouted   Delarue  angrily,   as   he   started  onward. 

"  Not  so  fast,  Mike.  Hold  a  minute,  I  have  a  word  for  you. 
There's  money  in  it,"  said  the  policeman,  who  seemed  to  think  that 
because  Delarue  was  formerly  a  detective  that  he  should  now,  if 
he  had  not  previously,  accept  fees  for  favors  not  in  line  of  duty 
but  controlled  by  it.  "  That  fellow  will  be  sent  to  the  pen  if  he 
remains  here ;  so  you  will  be  doing  him  an  act  of  charity  to  let 
him  go  while  his  passage  is  being  paid  for  him.  Those  fellows 
won't  let  you  see  him.     Put  that  gun  away." 

"  And  then  you  grab  me  for  carrying  concealed  weapons  ?  O, 
no,  not  much,"  said  Delarue. 

"  I  can  do  it  anyway ;  you  did  have  it  concealed." 

"  You  do  not  know  any  such  thing,  and  it  cannot  be  proven," 
hotly  retorted  Delarue. 

Thus  the  two  men  bandied  words  during  five  minutes  or  more, 
until  the  huge  steamer  Hilda  began  to  move  from  the  wharf,  back- 
ing out  on  the  placid  bosom  of  the  mighty  Mississippi. 

"  You  can  go  now,  Mike,"  said  Dan,  the  policeman,  as  a  parting 
salutation. 

Delarue  was  disconcerted.  He  saw  his  best  endeavors  thwarted. 
His  new-found  friend  in  whom  his  hopes  had  centered  was 
snatched  from  him  on  the  threshold  of  what  he  had  good  reason 
to  believe  would  be  to  him  and  to  his  friend  a  pleasant  and  prosper- 
ous future.     He  turned  and  sadly  went  his  way. 

Strolling  into  the  jewelry  store  of  the  Polak,  Morritz  Rosenstin, 
on  Poydras  street,  about  ten  o'clock  that  morning,  Delarue  finally, 
after  other  preliminary  remarks  between  them,  casually  said : 

"  They  shipped  that  fellow  Millyard  on  the  steamer  Hilda  this 
morning."  It  is  superfluous  to  add  that  this  announcement  pro- 
duced a  human  combustion. 


Stop  Der  Ship.  51 

"  Ghott'n  himmel !  Mine  Bertah  vos  on  dot  ship !  Dcy  must 
sthop  der  ship.  Dey  must  sthop  der  ship  right  er  vay."  Exclaim- 
ing thus  the  ill-favored  Polak  sank  on  a  chair  in  a  paroxysm  of 
moaning  and  lamenting. 

Delarue  quietly  walked  out  of  the  store.  Accidentally  he  had 
learned  something  of  importance.    He  saw  Judge  Cotton  at  once. 

"  This  is  interesting,"  said  he  to  the  Judge.  "  Can  it  be  possible 
that  Villeguini  is  trying  to  force  Millyard  to  marry  Bertha  instead 
of  his  trying  to  prevent  it  ?  " 

As  a  result  of  their  interview  Judge  Cotton  caused  Delarue  to 
accompany  him  to  see  the  Administrator  of  Police.  With  much 
warmth  of  feeling  and  some  curt  words  the  Judge  informed  that 
functionary  of  what  had  taken  place  and  the  part  taken  in  it  by 
some  of  the  police. 

The  Administrator  of  Police  was  amazed.  He  called  in  his  of- 
fice another  functionary  under  him  with  whom  he  held  a  private 
conference.  At  the  end  of  which  he  said  to  the  Judge  that  he 
would  immediately  telegraph  to  Quarantine  and  also  to  Pilot 
Town  and  have  Mr.  Millyard  taken  from  the  steamer  and  re- 
turned on  another  to  New  Orleans.  If  the  Hilda  had  passed  Quar- 
antine the  police  officer  at  Pilot  Town  would  be  sure  to  have  him 
disembarked  there. 

This  arrangement  satisfied  Judge  Cotton  and  Delarue.  The 
latter  then  bestirred  himself  to  do  every  needful  thing  in  order  that 
there  could  be  no  excuse  for  a  mishap  in  securing  Millyard's  re- 
turn. That  Millyard  was  to  be  returned  was  so  interesting  to 
him  that  he  thought  it  woulud  be  equally  so  to  the  Polak.  He 
therefore  went  to  Rosenstin's  store  intending  to  tell  him.  As  he 
entered  the  Polak  exclaimed  : 

"  Ah,  ha !  I  haf  mine  Bertah  sent  pack  frum  dot  Guarantine 
mit  der  next  ship  vot  dos  comes.  I  gets  der  schief  mit  der  ber- 
leace,  he  dos  delegraph  der  berleace  officer  unt  Bilot  Down  to 
arrest  mine  Bertah  ant  dake  'er  frum  der  Hilda  ant  sent  'er 
back  ter  me.     I  show  dem  dot  dey  don't  runs  er  vay  tergeder." 

"  Phew !  "  exclaimed  Delarue ;  but  he  said  nothing  else. 

All  he  had  intended  to  say  to  the  Polak  was  supplanted  by  an- 
other and  more  interesting  thought.  He  walked  out  of  the  store 
and  went  his  way. 


52  The  Lady  of  New  Orleans. 


CHAPTER  VIII. 

A  CHEAP  TRACT  OF  LAND. 

"  The  legislature  of  North  Carolina  in  chartering  this  place 
dubbed  it  the  '  City  of  Hickory,'  but  it  has  no  more  just  claim  to  be 
a  city  than  a  barber  has  to  be  a  machinist." 

These  were  the  well  weighed  remarks  of  Galen  Dalgal,  Esquire, 
a  celebrated  attorney  and  counselor-at-law  of  that  town,  which  is 
in  Western  North  Carolina,  to  Mr.  Emeil  Dhumazeil,  a  well- 
known  lawyer  of  New  Orleans,  Louisiana,  who,  with  his  family, 
were  stopping  over  a  few  days  in  Hickory  after  having  spent  the 
summer  at  Blowing  Rock  and  Sparkling  Catawba  Springs,  two 
noted  summer  resorts  in  that  section.  These  two  gentlemen 
were  engaged  in  a  leisurely  afternoon  conversation  at  the  untidy 
office  of  the  former.  Mr.  Dalgal  had  an  office  full  of  books  and 
he  was  regarded  as  a  lawyer  of  very  considerable  ability,  but  his 
office  floor  was  always  unswept,  being  littered  with  whittlings 
from  sticks,  dirt  from  men's  shoes,  and  highly  stained,  if  not 
polished  with  tobacco  juice.  Law  books  galore,  missing  from  the 
shelves  and  alcoves,  lay  piled  on  his  desk  and  the  tables  in  the 
two  rooms  constituting  his  office.  He  was  a  type  of  a  distinctive 
character  in  his  peculiarities.  He  had  acquired  the  appellations 
of  the  dreamer,  the  village  dreamer,  and  more  particularly  that 
of  the  lonely,  if  not  lovely,  "  dreamomaniac." 

It  came  about  in  this  way,  to  follow  the  trend  or  thread  of 
what  could  be  made  an  interesting  story  by  a  pen  guided  by  a 
more  facile  brain.    For  instance : 

Going  down  town  one  morning  from  his  unpretentious  board- 
ing-house, where  he  had  been  taking  his  meals  during  several 
years,  Mr.  Dalgal  met  the  mayor  of  the  town  and  demanded  that 
he  be  allowed  to  repay  the  five  dollars  he  had  borrowed  the  day 
before. 

Being  informed  by  the  mayor  that  he  had  not  had  the  pleasure 


A  Cheap  Tract  of  Land.  53" 

of  loaning  him  five  dollars  or  any  other  sum  the  day  before,  nor 
had  he  seen  him  the  day  before,  the  mayor  added : 

"  You  must  have  dreamed  it,  Galie." 

"  Always  accusing  me  of  dreaming,"  shouted  Mr.  Dagal,  as  he 
went  on  his  way. 

But  on  the  very  next  day  Galen  Dalgal  purchased  a  horse  from 
a  man  who  was  passing  through  the  town  with  a  drove  of  horses 
and  mules  and  was  short  five  dollars  in  making  payment  for  the 
same.  The  mayor  was  standing  by  Mr.  Dalgal's  side  and  loaned 
him  the  necessary  money. 

This  incident  exemplifies  one  of  his  traits.  His  "  dream  "  had 
not  been  very  far  wrong.  When  he  dreamed  of  some  event  or  an 
incident  if  it  had  not  already  taken  place  it  was  sure  in  the  future 
to  transpire,  at  least  in  all  essential  respects,  as  he  had  dreamed  it 
would  occur,  or  had  occurred. 

"  Since  it  is  designated  as  a  city  by  the  proper  naming  party," 
returned  Mr.  Dhumazeil,  smiling,  no  doubt,  at  Mr.  Dalgal's 
unique  simile,  while  leisurely  smoking  a  cigar  and  furiously  fan- 
ning himself  with  a  big  palmetto  fan  and  gently  swaying  in  a 
rocking-chair,  as  was  also  Mr.  Dalgal,  "  the  highest  in  the  State, 
a  city  it  should  be." 

"  Granted,"  retorted  Dalgal,  "  as  a  legal,  technical  proposition, 
but  as  a  practicality  and  actuality,  when  a  sufficient  number  of 
inhabitants  makes  it  so." 

"And  so  you  say  you  know  Alpha  Millyard?  And  that  he  is 
acquiring  a  good  practise  in  New  Orleans?"  added  Dalgal,  re- 
verting to  part  of  their  preceding  remarks.  "  I  am  glad  to  hear 
it.  When  he  practised  here  he  and  I  became  warm  personal 
friends.  He  is  a  wonderful  man.  A  brilliant  fellow.  But  he 
lacks  confidence  in  himself,  though  he  may  overcome  that  defect, 
which,  however,  is  better  than  being  arrogant  and  self-assumed 
in  superiority." 

"  It  occurred  to  me,"  remarked  Mr.  Dhumazeil,  "  that  he  ap- 
peared diffident.  But,  as  you  say,  he  may  overcome  it.  I  did  not 
think  him  very  much  given  to  diffidence  when  we  were  arraved 
against  each  other  in  a  very  important  case." 

"  Common  report  says  he  is  to  be  married  to  one  of  the  fairest 
ladies  of  our  town,  city,"  said  Mr.  Dalgal. 

At  that  juncture  ex-Judge  William  Buckingham  Selia,  one  of 
the  leading  legal  spirits  in  that  whole  section  of  the  country,  en- 
tered the  portal  of  the  law  offices  of  Galen  Dalgal  with  a  Chester- 


54  The  Lady  of  New  Orleans. 

fielciian  bow  and  a  salutation  that  would  have  been  pleasant  to  a 
reigning  prince  who  wished  a  favor. 

Mr.  Dalgal  of  course  presented  Judge  Selia  to  Mr.  Dhumazeil, 
after  which  the  three  gentlemen  entered  into  a  desultory  conver- 
sation on  various  topics,  including  a  parenthetical  allusion  to 
Alpha  Millyard. 

The  latter  had  practised  law  in  Hickory  for  a  while. 

"  Judge,"  said  Mr.  Dalgal,  becoming  somewhat  facetious  of  a 
sudden,  perhaps  to  enliven  the  lagging  conversation,  "  were  you 
in  earnest  about  offering  me  that  tract  of  land  out  here  in  the 
country  for  my  horse  and  buggy  and  sixty-five  dollars  ?  " 

"  The  land  sakes !  Which  tract  of  land,  and  when  ?  "  replied 
the  erudite,  battle-scarred  old  lawyer,  whose  love  for  wit  and 
humor  was  even  more  keenly  developed  than  was  that  of  the  old 
bachelor,  Mr.  Dalgal. 

"  O,  that  tract  of  unprofitable  mountain  land  in  the  woods  over 
in  Alexander  county,"  replied  Dalgal  more  earnestly.  '  That 
tract  you  got  for  your  fee  in  the  Hallowell  case  at  the  last  term 
of  court.  You  told  me  the  other  day  you  wanted  to  sell  it  to  me 
for  my  old  horse  and  buggy  and  sixty-five  dollars,  provided  1 
would  also  marry  Miss  Lucilla  Helms.  Speaking  of  Alpha  Mill- 
yard  reminds  me  of  it." 

"  I  do  not  remember  the  conversation  or  call  to  mind  the  pro- 
posal," answered  Judge  Buckingham  Selia,  with  a  slight  twitch 
of  his  right  leg  as  he  balanced  it  over  the  other  knee  and  twirled 
his  ample  deer-horn-  handled  walking  cane,  adding :  "  This  world 
is  all  a  fleeting  shore  and  many  sands  upon  it,  although  not  to 
man's  illusion  given  to  man  'tis  still  alluring.  Galie,  old  dreaming 
chum,  if  you  dreamed  I  said  I  would  do  it  I'll  stick  to  the  dream- 
bargain.  The  terms  of  your  dream :  Cash  down  and  fork  it 
over?  If  so,  make  out  the  papers.  I'll  sign  the  deed.  Send  your 
old  circuit  riding  horse  and  circus  buggy  down  to  my  stable  and 
hand  over  the  sixty-five  dollars.  It  is  a  trade.  You  can't  be  any 
too  quick  about  it.     But,  Galie,  does  Miss  Helms  agree?" 

"  See  here,  Judge,"  said  Dalgal,  "  I  have  spat  on  the  bare  floor 
but  three  times  this  week,  but  I  hit  the  crack  every  time. 
And " 

"Which  floor,  Galie?"  interrupted  Judge  Selia,  looking  as- 
kance at  the  floor. 

"  O,  I  have  been  here  so  long  I  can  tell  where  the  cracks  are," 
quickly  retorted  Dalgal.     "  Nor,  as  I  was  going  on  to  say.  have 


A  Cheap  Tract  of  Land.  55 

I  placed  either  one  of  my  feet  directly  across  a  line  in  six  months, 
but  have  invariably  stepped  over  the  line  or  crack ;  besides,  I  have 
put  on  my  socks  wrongside  out  twice  during  the  last  two  weeks 
without  knowing  it  at  the  time.  If  that  does  not  augur  good 
luck,  what  does?  Besides,  I  saw  Miss  Helms  last  night  and  she 
consented."  . 

"  You  were  at  the  city  council  meeting  last  night  early  and  re-  \ 
mained   until   council   adjourned   at   eleven   o'clock,"   announced 
Judge  Selia  solemnly.     "What  time  other  than  that  did  you  see 
her  last  night,  Galie?  " 

"  It  must  have  been  the  night  before  when  I  saw  her  then," 
replied  Mr.  Dalgal,  abstractedly. 

"  You  were  at  the  mayor's  residence  discussing  with  him  about 
your  old  puritanical  ordinances,"  said  the  Judge. 

"  Well,  she  consented,  and  that's  enough  for  me  to  know,"  re- 
torted Dalgal  somewhat  hotly. 

"  You  and  her  for  that ;  it  was  you  who  suggested  the  trade," 
replied  Judge  Selia.  "  Come  bv  my  office  and  get  the  papers 
and  draw  up^the  deed  for  me.     I'll  do  anything  you  say." 

"  To  encourage  you  in  your  bargain,  Mr.  Dalgal,"  interposed 
Mr.  Dhumazeil,  "  I  can  say,  but  with  no  intent  to  prejudice  or 
alarm  you  about  your  friend,  I  have  heard  that  Mr.  Millyard  is 
in  some  kind  of  trouble  in  New  Orleans,  but  I  do  not  know  its  ex- 
act nature  or  to  what  extent." 

Next  day  the  deed  to  the  land  was  signed  by  Judge  Selia  and 
his  wife  and  the  transfers  of  property  and  money  made  according 
to  agreement.  Mr.  Galen  Dalgal,  who  was  a  man  exceedingly 
well  learned  in  the  law  but  impractical  as  an  advocate  before  a 
court,  became  the  owner  in  fee  simple  of  three  hundred  and 
eighty-four  acres  of  mountain  land  in  Alexander  county,  the 
county  adjoining  on  the  north  of  that  county  in  which  Hickory 
was  situated.  All  that  remained  of  the  trade,  as  made,  to  be  done 
was  the  performance  of  the  unwritten  part,  which  was  for  Mr. 
Galen  Dalgal  to  be  united  in  marriage  to  Miss  Lucilla  Helms. 
This  might  require  weeks  or  months  or  no  time.  Mr.  Dalgal  was 
a  fast  man,  however.  He  acknowledged  himself  the  owner  of 
land  that  was  mountainous,  it  was  true,  but  he  had  conceived  or 
dreamed  that  it  contained  mineral  ores  galore.  Better  still,  there 
was  for  him  the  prospective  bride,  even  if  he  was  somewhat  bald 
on  the  head  and  past  the  forty-mile  post  on  the  race-track  of 
life. 


56  The  Lady  of  New  Orleans. 

Xext  day  Mr.  Dalgal  was  seated  in  his  office  engaged  in  con- 
templating his  future  when  Judge  Selia  suddenly  entered. 

"Hello,  Judge,  what's  up?  Anything  wrong?"  quickly 
queried  Dalgal,  pointing  to  a  rocker. 

"  Nothing  serious,  Galie;  only  a  social  call.  I  was  afraid  you 
might  take  the  blues  and  want  to  rue  your  bargain.'' 

"  I  guess  the  old  land  is  worth  as  much  as  I  paid  you  for  it.  I 
will  not  regret  the  trade  if  I  can  get  the  fair  lady. 

"  By  the  way,  I  wonder  what  can  be  the  trouble  with  Alpha 
Millyard?  That  gentleman  from  New  Orleans  has  excited  my 
curiosity.  He  himself  did  not  seem  to  know.  It  has  been  prey- 
ing on  my  mind.  I  was  thinking  of  it  all  day  and  last  night.  I 
guess  Miss  Lucilla  may  know." 

"  Suppose  you  ask  her,  Galie?  "  suggested  the  Judge,  jestingly. 

"  All  things  work  out  a  man's  own  way,  if  he  be  only  persist- 
ent," said  Mr.  Dalgal,  dryly.  "  But  that  reminds  me  of  an  old 
story  and  therefore  good  by  being  old." 

"What  is  it?     Let  it  out,"  said  the  Judge. 

"  There  was  a  big  fat  man  standing  on  an  old  wooden  bridge 
spanning  a  large  creek  which  the  people  called  a  river  because  it 
was  wide  during  high  water  and  had  a  wide  marshy  swamp  on 
both  sides.  Arching  limbs  of  trees  .swung  over  the  water  from 
both  banks.  The  man  was  leaning  over  the  wooden  railing  gaz- 
ing intently  at  the  lazily  rolling  waters,  apparently  in  deep  medita- 
tion. Perhaps  he  was  experiencing  some  trouble  from  his  break- 
fast. Stealthily  there  approached  him  a  tall,  cadaverous  man, 
thin  in  form  and  visage,  long  peaked  nose,  large,  round  wild-look- 
ing blue  eyes,  long  frock  coat,  big  white  cravat,  wearing  a  broad- 
brimmed  sombrero,  a  decidedly  clerical  looking  person.  He  halted 
near  the  fat  man  and  in  solemn  somber  tones  asked  the  question : 
'  My  friend,  what  thinkest  thou  ? '  Slowly  raising  his  elbows  from 
the  railing  and  turning,  facing  the  inquiring  stranger,  the  fat  man 
replied:  'I  was  just  thinking  about  them  darned  eggs.  How 
will  you  have  your  eggs  ?  '  Evidently  the  clerical-looking  man 
did  not  relish  the  attempt,  though  weak,  at  profanity.  He  gently 
waved  his  open  hand,  elevated  his  head  and  eyes  and  marched 
slowly  on  across  the  bridge  without  deigning  to  reply. 

"  Twenty  years  afterwards  to  a  day  the  fat  man  happened  to 
be  at  the  same  place  in  the  same  position  again.  The  same  sad- 
eyed,  pallid-faced,  clerical-looking  nightmare  approached  again 
in  the  same    stealthy  way    as  before.     Halting,  as    the  fat    man 


A  Cheap  Tract  of  Land.  57 

raised  his  head,  he  half  hissed :  '  Scrambled,'  then  quietly  marched 
on  across  the  bridge. 

'  Judge,  I  am  going  to  tell  Miss  Lucilla  I  will  take  my  eggs 
scrambled.     I  have  wanted  her  ever  since  I've  known  her." 

"  Now,  Galie ;  don't  make  a  bad  break  and  shift  your  wind." 

"  Goo — goo — good  even',  squire,"  said  a  florid-faced,  auburn- 
haired,  tatter-clothed,  coatless,  stammering  man  as  he  entered 
and  interrupted  Mr.  Dalgal  and  Judge  Selia. 

"  Hello,  George ;  you  are  the  very  man  I  want  to  see,"  said 
Dalgal. 

George  Peavy  was  the  loiterer  and  chore-server  of  the  town. 
He  made  himself  useful  in  doing  all  sorts  of  odd  jobs  and  some 
that  were  not  so  odd.  He  had  a  habit,  yes,  habit,  of  overdoing  the 
matter  and  himself  whenever  he  could  obtain  the  wherewithal, 
the  whisky.  He  drank  it  as  a  mere  pastime.  Sometimes  his 
treasury  enabled  him  to  get  more  than  he  could  "  tote,"  as  he 
expressed  it. 

"All  r-r-right,  Squire,"  replied  George.     "What's  up?" 

"  I  bought  a  tract  of  land  from  Judge  Selia  over  in  Alexander," 
said  Dalgal.  "  I  want  you  to  go  over  there  and  examine  it  for 
me.     See  what  it  is  good  for  and  what  you  think  it  is  worth." 

"  Er-er-er-you  know  I  think  Lum  Lester's  the  best  po-po-po- 
liceman  in  town.  When  I  get  d-d-d-drunk  all  the  others  lock  me 
up,  b-b-but  Lum  hauls  me  home  in  a  whe-wheelbarrow." 

"  You  have  not  told  me  whether  you  will  go." 

'  Ye-ye-yes,  I'll  go;  but  ca-ca-can't  Lum  go  with  me?  " 

"  Lum  ? "  sarcastically  and  yet  flatteringly  demanded  Mr. 
Dalgal.  "  What  does  he  know  about  geology  and  mineral  lands  ? 
Why  don't  you  take  Mooney  ?  " 

"  Moo-Moo-oo-ny  ?  He'll  do ;  he  knows.  He's  a  reg'ler  g-g-g- 
g'olergist  an'  knows  all  'bout  minerls.  Sh-sh-shall  I  take  'im?" 
replied  George  in  speech  as  rapid  as  he  could,  his  hat  in  hand. 

"  Yes.  I  want  you  to  start  in  the  morning,"  replied  Dalgal, 
rubbing  the  lone  red  tuft  on  his  otherwise  bald  head  with  a  red 
bandanna.  "  You  can  go  in  my  carriage ;  John  will  drive  you. 
You  see  Mooney  and  both  of  you  be  on  hand  early  in  the  morn- 


mg. 


Mooney  was  regarded  as  a  supernatural  or  sort  of  psycholog- 
ical geologist,  or  any  other  kind  of  diviner  of  what  was  hidden  in 
the  earth.  He  told  the  people  where  to  dig  wells  to  find  good 
water,  and  where  asbestos,  mica  and  graphite  were  to  be  found. 


58  The  Lady  of  New  Orleans. 

His  reputation  was  great  in  this  respect.     It  was  well  that  Mr. 
Dalgal  chanced  to  think  of  him. 

Mooney  was  called  "  Mooney  "  for  a  singular  reason.  He  was 
a  singular  man,  a  most  extraordinary  man.  He  had  no  father 
irom  whom  to  inherit  a  name,  so  in  his  youth  when  it  was  ascer- 
tained that  he  could  not  see,  had  no  vision  only  in  the  dark  and  not . 
in  daylight,  he  was  given  that  name  by  common  usage.  He  was 
a  freak  of  nature,  or  rather  nature  made  a  freak  of  him.  His 
eyes  were  large  and  round  and  had  two  little  hazel  rings  on  each 
black  pupil  surrounding  the  cornea. 

His  family  history  said  that  his  mother  was  fearfully  fright- 
ened during  the  period  of  his  gestation  in  a  most  remarkable  man- 
ner and  which  was  the  cause  of  his  exceptional  phenomena. 

His  mother  told  it  that  she  was  sleeping  on  her  back  porch, 
which  "  porch  "  consisted  of  a  few  plank  boards  with  a  shed  over 
them  attached  to  a  one-room  shack  situated  in  the  woods  next  to 
a  swamp,  when  she  was  awakened  by  some  one  yelling  to  her  in 
a  loud  voice,  saying :    "  Who,  who,  who,  who  are  you  ?  " 

Opening  her  eyes  quickly  on  awakening  she  beheld  two  enor- 
mous lights  on  the  baluster  railing  within  four  feet  of  her  head. 
The  great  terrible-looking  monster  stretched  forth  tremendous 
long  arms,  made  a  great  noise  and  dashed  at  her.  She  screamed, 
then  swooned.  That  was  the  last  thing  she  knew  for  two  days. 
When  found  by  a  person  passing  she  was  nearly  dead. 

The  apparition  was  not  a  fallacy ;  it  was  a  huge  owl,  not  one 
of  those  hooting  owls  either,  but  was  larger — one  of  those  tre- 
mendous "  who,  who,  who,  who  are  you  "  kind.  But  the  bird 
meant  no  harm,  was  harmless.  In  fact,  the  owl  was  afraid  of  the 
woman  and  flew  when  she  opened  her  eyes. 

It  was  this  episode  that  was  said  to  be  responsible  fo'r  the  physi- 
cal appearance  and  mental  depth  and  bent  of  Mooney.  He  could 
perambulate  but  little  in  the  daytime  on  account  of  inability  to 
see,  but  in  the  night  or  dark  he  could  see  as  well  as  other  persons 
do  in  the  daylight. 

The  strangest  phenomena  of  all  with  regard  to  this  monstrous 
human  being  was  his  ability  to  see  in  the  ground  at  night.  This, 
however,  had  to  be  under  certain  conditions. 

Mooney,  who  had  been  left  to  the  care  of  the  world  by  his 
mother  in  his  infancy,  she  not  being  able  to  take  care  even  of  her- 
self, was  the  man  through  whom  Mr.  Dalgal  expected  to  see  what 
was  in  the  ground  of  the  mountains  of  Alexander  which  he  re- 
cently purchased  from  Judge  William  Buckingham  Selia. 


Dalgal,  The  Dreamomaniac.  59 


CHAPTER  IX. 

DALGAL,   THE  DREAMOMANIAC. 

Miss  Lucilla  Helms,  who  was  not  over  twenty-four  summers, 
was  a  woman  of  charming  personality.  Not  what  the  generality 
of  men  regard  as  being  beautiful,  yet  she  was  very  much  admired 
by  men.  Her  chief  attractiveness  tonsisted  in  high-bred,  gentle 
manners. 

Her  father  had  skipped  about  the  country  with  his  family  in  the 
pursuit  of  his  avocation,  and  in  the  course  of  his  career  had  re- 
sided at  Atlanta,  at  Louisville  and  at  other  places,  and  was  then 
residing  at  Hickory.  Mr.  Alpha  Millyard,  as  he  himself  had  said, 
had  been  "  a  follower  of  the  lamb." 

Mr.  Galen  Dalgal  had  been  very  assiduous  in  his  attentions  to 
Miss  Helms  during  several  years  and  more  especially  subsequent 
to  the  departure  of  Alpha  Millyard  from  Hickory.  But  for  rea- 
sons unknown  to  the  public  or  even  to  their  nearest  friends  his 
courtship  had  not  developed  tangibly.  Their  friends  wondered 
why  this  was  the  case.  Mr.  Dalgal  was  a  fine  catch,  if  he  was  an 
old  bachelor.     He  was  well-to-do  and  was  a  superior  lawyer. 

After  the  trade  with  Judge  Sella  it  became  incumbent  upon 
Mr.  Dalgal  to  force  his  intentions  and  aspirations  with  regard 
to  Miss  Lucilla  to  a  direct  and  speedy  issue.  To  this  end  he 
formed  and  expressed  an  opinion.  It  was  that  she  should  marry 
him  at  once. 

Immediately  after  Judge  Selia  left,  Mr.  Dalgal  wrote  a  note  to 
Miss  Helms  requesting  the  pleasure  to  call  and  see  her  that  eve- 
ning. He  despatched  the  note  through  the  medium  and  courtesy 
of  his  office-boy.  In  reply  he  was  respectfully  and  regretfully 
informed  in  a  note  through  the  same  channel  that  Miss  Helms 
had  a  previous  engagement  for  the  evening,  but  she  naively  in- 
corporated the  suggestion  that  she  would  "  be  pleased  to  see 
Squire  Dalgal  at  any  other  time,  say,  to-morrow  evening." 

Next  morning  immediately  after  opening  his  law  offices  Mr. 


60  The  Lady  of  New  Orleans. 

Dalgal  rushed  in  great  hurry  to  the  law  office  of  ex-Judge  Wm. 
Buckingham  Selia.  Grasping  the  Judge  by  the  hand,  Dalgal  ex- 
claimed : 

"  The  last  of  the  terms  of  our  contract  are  to  be  complied 
with  before  the  waning  of  the  moon.    It's  a  sure  pop,  Judge." 

"When  d'd  you  arrange  it,  Galie?  Plant  yourself  in  that 
chair  and  tell  me  all  about  it." 

"  Last  night,"  replied  Dalgal,  gleefully,  as  he  sank  to  a  seat 
in  a  rocking-chair. 

"Great  snakes,  Galie!  My  son  told  me  he  saw  you  at  the 
opera-house  last  night  and  that  you  were  alone.  He  also  said 
Miss  Helms  was  there  with  Tom  Critchton." 

"  Let  me  see,"  said  Dalgal,  pulling  his  stubby,  short-cropped, 
sandy-colored  mustache,  "  where  was  it?  I  forget.  I  had  a  long 
talk  with  her  somewhere.  She  told  me  Alpha  Millyard  had  been 
arrested  in  New  Orleans  on  a  charge  of  abducting  a  woman  or 
girl,  and  was  having  a  lot  of  trouble.  In  fact,  that  he  had  been 
arrested  two  or  three  times  and  was  himself  abducted  and  then 
apprehended  in  the  company  of  the  young  woman  he  had  ab- 
ducted. This,  you  will  observe,  is  in  conformity  with  what  Mr. 
Dhumazeil  -told  us.  It  will,  of  course,  break  up  any  matrimonial 
arrangements  that  may  have  existed  between  Miss  Lucilla  Helms 
and  Mr.  Alpha  Millyard.  Not,  however,  that  I  wish  Mr.  Mill- 
yard  any  harm.  But  it  comes  in  very  apropos  in  furtherance  of 
my  aspirations." 

"  All  right,  you  unterrified  dreamer."  responded  the  ex-Judge, 
"  just  dream  on.  I  wish  you  well.  You  have  my  deed  in  fee 
simple  to  the  old  mountain  rocks  and  lands,  and  I  have  your  circus 
team  and  money.  If  you  fail  to  get  the  wife  it  will  be  no  fault  of 
mine." 

"  I  am  sure  it  is  all  right,  but  if  I  do  not  get  her,  what  then  ?  " 

"  You  will  lose  a  refined  and  highly  cultured  woman  for  a  wife, 
that's  all,"  replied  Judge  Selia. 

"  But  will  you  make  claim  for  a  rescinding  of  the  title  to  the 
lands?"  earnestly  inquired  Mr.  Dalgal,  that  being  the  point  he 
seemed  interested  in  most  deeply. 

"  I  will  not  try  to  enforce  it  in  the  courts  of  law,  Galie.  I  will 
leave  it  to  your  honor,"  said  the  Judge. 

"  Some  one  told  me  it  is  the  richest  gold  mine  lands  in  the 
world,"  carelessly  remarked  Dalgal,  demonstrating  no  more  re- 
gard for  Judge  Selia's  carpet  matting  than  for  his  own  bare  office 


Dalgal,  The  Dreamomaniac.  61 

floor.  "  Besides,"  he  continued,  "  there  is  a  green  diamond  in 
the  rocks  down  in  the  ground  that  is  worth  more  than  diamonds, 
and  enough  of  them  to  cover  two  feet  deep  a  ten-acre  pasture." 

"  Great  Kaiser i  You  prolific  dreamer!  "  shouted  Judge  Selia. 
"  Xo ;  I  take  that  back.  I  guess  Mooney  saw  them.  No ;  that's 
not  tenable.  Mooney  hasn't  got  there.  I  stick  to  the  dream." 
He  hesitated,  then  added  : 

"If  that  is  the  case  I  shall  have  to  hold  you  strictly  to  the 
bargain — a  pound  of  flesh.  The  contract,,  Galie,  the  contract. 
The  woman's  in  the  bargain.  Do  you  know  that  what  everybody 
says  is  so,  is  true?  You  are  a  dreamomaniac.  You  go  to  sleep, 
or  half  asleep,  and  then  dream  just  exactly  what  you  want;  that 
is,  about  events  which  you  already  have  in  your  mind  even  in  de- 
ta'l  just  as  you  would  have  them  be,  in  the  manner  as  if  they 
had  actually  happened  or  transpired,  and  then  when  you  wake  up 
you  caress  the  delusion  and  make  yourself  believe  that  what  you 
have  dreamed  is  actually  true.  Galie,  it  will  ruin  your  mind. 
Quit  the  habit ;  it  is  nearly  as  bad  as  being  a  kleptomaniac." 

"  How  is  it  possible  for  a  man  to  dream  in  any  such  manner  as 
you  say?  "  sharply  retorted  Dalgal.  "  That  would  be  equal  to  the 
task  of  manufacturing  dreams  to  order.  I  deny  the  allegation.  I 
never  heard  of  such  a  thing  before." 

"  Have  you  never  heard  before  that  you  were  a  dreamo- 
maniac ?  "  asked  Judge  Selia. 

'  I  never  heard  before  of  any  such  dreamomaniacal  nonsense," 
replied  Galen  Dalgal,  rising  abruptly  to  depart. 

"  All  right,  Galie,  keep  it  up,  keep  it  up.  You  are  the  boss.  I 
do  not  wish  to  discourage  you.     Dream  some  for  me." 

'  This  is  a  serious  matter,"  said  Dalgal  in  a  high-toned  voice  as 
he  advanced  to  the  Judge's  office  door.  "  If  it  is  an  infirmity  of 
my  brain  I  must  make  the  best  of  it.  Meantime  I  fail  to  see  that 
there  is  in  it  any  room  for  levity.  If  they  are  somnolent  visions, 
sign-boards  to  guide  me  in  the  proper  path,  I  trust  I  am  prepared 
to  be  clearly  guided  and  to  fully  appreciate  the  guidance. 

"  I  want  to  say  this :  If  these  things  do  come  true,  I  wish  to 
engage  your  services  as  my  attorney  at  an  annual  salary.  Good 
morning."    He  was  cutting,  in  his  parting  thrust. 

Red-headed  Galen  Dalgal,  Esquire,  could  not  have  wished  him- 
self any  greater  success  in  fortune  than  this  conversation  por- 
tended, 


62  The  Lady  of  New  Orleans. 


CHAPTER  X. 

ALPHA  AND  BERTHA  AT  PILOT  TOWN. 

When  the  steamer  Hilda  reached  Pilot  Town,  having  passed 
Quarantine,  both  Miss  Bertha  Rosenstin  and  Mr.  Alpha  Millyard 
were  demanded  and  received  by  the  officer  of  the  law  stationed 
at  that  place.  The  goodly  dispositioned  officer  took  them  from 
the  steamer  in  midstream  and  carried  them  in  a  yawl  to  his 
house. 

.  Pilot  Town  is  built  on  stilts.  It  is  on  a  delta  or  strip  of  made 
land  just  above  the  bar  on  the  east  side  of  the  Pass  il  'Outre 
channel  of  the  many  "  passes  "  of  the  mighty  Mississippi  river. 
The  houses  are  high  above  the  ground  so  as  to  be  above  high 
water.  In  low,  or  normal,  condition  of  the  river  and  the  tide, 
canals  take  the  place  of  streets.  They  are  laid  off  as  streets  and 
in  squares.  In  front  of  the  houses  are  plank  platform  walks 
from  the  houses  on  an  even  line  with  the  doors  out  to  the  wooden 
steps  leading  down  to  the  water.  The  houses  set  back  from  the 
streets  or  canals  and  generally  are  on  a  line  with  each  other.  Con- 
venient to  the  steps  on  one  side  of  the  walk  or  the  other  are  high 
posts  to  which,  at  the  top,  are  attached  long  iron  chains,  the  use 
of  which  are  to  fasten  the  boats  and  yawls  so  they  may  not  under 
influence  of  the  waters  wander  never  to  return.  The  pilots,  those 
who  pilot  the  hundreds  and  hundreds  of  ocean-^oin<r  vessels 
bound  to  or  from  New  Orleans  and  every  other  port  in  the  world, 
inhabit,  with  their  families,  these  houses  on  stilts. 

"  Here,  you  k'n  go  inter  this  'ere  room,"  said  the  polite  and  ac- 
commodating police  officer  of  Pilot  Town,  who  had  intercepted, 
officially,  Miss  Bertha  and  Mr.  Millyard.  It  was  seldom  he  had 
any  official  duties  to  perform,  and,  therefore,  for  that  reason  prob- 
ably he  was  polite  and  courteous  in  the  discharge  of  his  duty.  It 
was  this  or  the  lady  in  the  case  made  him  polite  and  courteous,  at 
least  on  this  occasion.     As  he  made  this  invitation  the  officer 


Alpha  and  Bertha  at  Pilot  Town.  63 

opened  the  door  to  a  neatly  furnished  room  on  the  second  floor. 
As  they  walked  in  he  added: 

"  I'll  fetch  yer  some  water'n  a  few  minits.  It'll  be  three  hours 
or  more  'fore  dinner'll  be  ready."  The  officer  went  out,  closing 
the  door  behind  him. 

Mr.  Millyard,  standing  in  the  center  of  the  room,  was  holding 
his  hands  and  arms  akimbo.  His  slender  form  seemed  to 
lengthen  out  a  few  fractions  of  an  inch,  if  not  an  inch,  as  his 
hands  fell  flap  and  limp  by  his  sides  and  in  a  surprised  look  and 
disgusted  manner  he  sharply  said : 

"  Good  gracious,  Miss  Bertha ;  what  does  this  mean  ?  " 

"  I  have  it  not  in  me  to  retort  in  kind,"  replied  Bertha,  some- 
what gently  in  tone  and  manner,  and  advancing  toward  him  in 
a  pleading  attitude.  "  If  you  are  ignorant  in  this  affair  you  are 
not  any  more  so  than  am  I.  Therefore,  I  will  not  ask  you  the 
same  question  for  an  answer." 

"  The  man  evidently  thinks  we  are  married,"  said  Alpha.  "  His 
supply  of  imagination  is  warranted  no  doubt  by  the  chain  of  cir- 
cumstances, if  not  by  the  fact.  I  have  a  ween  that  it  has  become 
known  to  my  friends  in  town  and  to  your  irascible  father  that  we 
are  on  the  same  boat  bound  for  a  foreign  port  and  the  police  au- 
thorities have  ordered  our  arrest  and  return  to  the  city.  This 
officer  has  jumped  at  the  conclusion  that  we  are  running  away, 
an  eloping  married  couple,  and  hence  placed  us  in  the  same  room 
as  such." 

"  Goodness!     If  it  was  with  any  other  man  I  would  be  afraid. 

But  with  you "   Bertha  had  just  placed  her  hands  on   Mr. 

Millyard's  shoulders  as  she  said  this  when  the  door  was  opened 
by  the  Pilot  Town  officer  without  rapping  a  signal,  having  in  his 
hand  a  pitcher  of  water. 

'  Yer  needn't  be  grievin',"  he  said ;  "  there  shan't  no  harm 
come  ter  yer.  I  know  all  'bout  how  'tis.  Mag  and  me  had  ter 
run  er-way.     Yes,  bless  yer ;  we  symperthise  wid  yer." 

"  I  suppose  you  had  orders  by  telegraph  to  arrest  us  ?  "  asked 
Millyard,  loosening  himself  from  Bertha. 

"  One  telegram  told  me  ter  'rest  the  man,  Mister — er — ah — 
Millyard,  an'  send  'im  back ;  and  t'other  one  said  git  the  woman 
an'  send  'er  back  on  ther  first  vess'l.  An'  that's  what  I've  done, 
an'  that's  what  I'm  goin'  ter  do.  But  that's  all  I  got  ter  do  wid  it. 
Because  t'otherwise  I'm  wid  yer."  He  walked  to  the  room  door, 
and,  looking  back  at  the  forlorn  couple  before  leaving,  added : 


64  The  Lady  of  New  Orleans. 

"  Dinner'll  be  ready  at  one  er  clock.  Hit'll  be  six  er  clock 
'fore  ther's  any  vess'l  goin'  up  you  k'n  go  on." 

Millyard  advanced  to  the  window  on  the  south  from  which  he 
could  look  out  over  the  broad  expanse  of  the  Gulf  of  Mexico  as 
far  as  vision  would  admit. 

The  canal  or  street  fronting  the  house  he  was  in  ran  east  and 
west.  Across  the  street  or  canal  were  other  pilot  men's  houses, 
and  on  the  few  more  squares  further  on  were  houses  between 
him  and  the  waters  of  the  Gulf. 

The  balize,  the  great  balize,  the  wide,  the  unbounded  mouth,  or 
enormous  mouths  of  the  mighty  Mississippi  river,  called 
"  passes,"  stretching  out  almost  in  continuous  succession,  being 
one  mouth  only  and,  save  when  a  high  river  and  tide  are  simul- 
taneous, or  when  the  great  river  is  unusually  high.  It  is  then  the 
deltas  are  submerged  and  the  river  becomes  one  hundred  and 
sixty  miles  in  width.  It  is  when  the  river  is  unusually  high  that 
it  amazes  and  astounds  by  the  sublimity  and  grandeur  of  its  vast- 
ness.  A  moving,  rushing  ocean.  No  wonder  the  houses  are 
built  high  on  stilts. 

Viewing  this  grand  scene  Alpha  Millyard  was  thinking: 

"  Has  this  young  woman  been  wantonly  placed  in  my  path  to 
tempt  me  to  ruin?  Whatever  the 'world  may  say,  Dick  Yay  or 
Mister  Nay,  I  will  not.     I  will  not.     So  help  me  God,  I  will  not." 

Turning  and  facing  Bertha,  who  had  walked  up  and  clasped 
her  hands  over  one  of  his  shoulders,  he  said : 

"  Miss  Bertha,  I  would  not  deny  it  and  endeavor  to  prove  it.  I 
am  being  sorely  tried.  But  I  cannot  under  any  circumstances 
permit  you  the  belief  or  idea  that  I  will  marry  you,  for  such  can 
never  be  the  case.  It  is  utterly  outside  the  pale  of  my  consider- 
ation." 

"  Mr.  Millyard,"  said  Bertha,  sternly,  facing  him  with  flashing 
gleams  from  her  large,  brown,  penetrating  eyes,  "  I  have  told  you 
that  I  love  you.  That  is  as  much  as  I  or  any  woman  can  acknowl- 
edge to  any  man.  It  is  the  dearest  secret  of  a  woman's  heart.  T 
am  impelled  to  love  you,  whether  you  love  me  in  return  or  not.  I 
trust  you — a  gentleman — can  have  consideration  for  me  sufficient 
that  you  will  not  be  so  cruel  as  to  break  my  heart." 

"  Break  your  heart  ?  No,  my  dear  girl.  But  you  must  under- 
stand, I  am  already  engaged.    Do  you  wish  to  break  mine  ?  " 

"  Not  for  the  world,"  she  exclaimed,  casting  her  plump,  well- 
rounded  arms  around  his  neck. 


Alpha  and  Bertha  at  Pilot  Town.  65 

"  Then  do  not  build  hopes  on  my  marrying  you,"  quickly  re- 
plied Millyard,  removing  her  arms  and  turning  aside.  Then 
quickly  turning  and  glancing  at  her  as  she  stood  in  an  attitude  of 
despair,  he  added,  as  if  addressing  her : 

"  Bertha " 

On  the  instant  she  threw  herself  upon  him  in  full  force,  body, 
yea,  soul,  exclaiming : 

"  Alpha,  my  God,  let  me  love  you." 

"  By  the  eternals,  upon  my  honor  as  a  gentleman,  I  give 
you  my  consent.  But,"  and  Mr.  Millyard  suddenly  became 
stern,  "  you  must  not  presume  too  far.  As  I  told  you,  I  am 
engaged  to  another  whom  I  have,  by  my  feelings,  been 
led  to  believe  I  do  love.  She  is  the  dearest,  sweetest  woman 
whom  I  know.  I  have  loved  her  from  my  youngest  boy- 
hood, when,  as  children  lovers  she  playfully  pushed  me  off  a  foot- 
bridge into  a  branch,  then  endeared  herself  to  me  by  thrusting  a 
shingle,  or  perhaps  it  was  a  lath,  to  my  rescue  as  the  highly 
swollen  waters  of  the  stream  were  bearing  me  onward  across  the 
street  below  the  bridge.  She  rushed  off  the  bridge  when  she  had 
shoved  me  off  above  it  and  I  went  under  with  the  torrent,  and 
hurrying  in  the  street  she  fortunately  found  the  lath  in  her  path 
which  she  stretched  forth  to  me  as  I  was  rolling  on  the  topmost 
waves  and  pulled  me  out  just  before  I  reached  the  fence,  where 
the  branch  fell  into  a  big  ditch  extending  through  a  field  to  the 
woods.  Had  I  gone  in  there  I  would  have  drowned.  Thus  she 
saved  my  life.  I  had  already  given  her  a  finger  ring  which  was 
the  heirloom  and  symbol  of  our  family. 

Bertha  Rosenstin  had  shrank  backward  during  these  remarks 
until  she  sat  composedly  on  the  side  cf  the  lone  bed  in  the  cham- 
ber. When  he  had  come  to  his  period  she  placidly  assayed  to  re- 
mark, with  much  wisdom : 

"  If  we  try  to  explain  to  this  man  our  true  predicament  it  will 
only  result  in  exposing  us  to  his  and  other  people's  obloquy,  each 
alike,  and  neither  the  better ;  and,  the  result  will  be  the  same,  we 
still  explaining.  So  I  think  we  may  just  as  well  take  things  easy 
as  they  are  until  fate,  and  the  law,  shall  deal  so  gently  that  we 
may  part,  as  we  should  desire,  in  peace  if  not  in  love." 

"  Bertha,  you  almost  break  the  bonds  between  desire,  the  fruc- 
tified hope  of  man,  and  self-domineered  resolution  to  withstand, 
yea,  stolidly,  solidly  resist  and  successfully  repel  temptation  to 
commit    what    God  and    man    calls    evil.     But  whether    or    not 


66  The  Lady  of  New  Orleans. 

there  be  for  me  a  mission  in  life  I  am  determined  no  act  of  mine 
shall  bar-sinister  me  from  heaven  or  entail  upon  my  progeny  the 
scriptural  curse  to  the  third  or  fourth  generation.  In  other 
words,  I  desire  no  descendants  by  whom  I  may  be  cursed." 

"  Mr.  Millyard,"  she  said,  cupping  her  two  little  hands  ex- 
tended toward  him,  "  Do  you  doubt  me  ?  " 

"  Great  Scott !  Doubt  you  !  How  ?  In  what  way  ?  Me  doubt 
you?    I  have  no  reason,  or  room  to  doubt  you.     I  am " 

"  A  lover  without  having  the  soul  of  a  lover,"  Bertha  quickly 
said,  taking  up  by  interruption  the  thread  of  his  remarks,  but 
which  was  not  his  thread. 

"  Yes ;  I  guess  I  am  a  lover.  I  love,"  he  said,  then  turning 
toward  the  window  and  gazing  out  over  the  gulf  again,  he  slowly 
continued :  "  But  the  one  I  love  has  a  white  oak  in  place  of  a 
hickory  for  a  fact  instead  of  a  name,  in  front  of  her  home ;  and  I 
hope  that  some  day  I  shall  be  happy  with  her  in  a  home  of  my 
own." 

"  Dreamer,  the  sweetest  ideal  of  dreamers.  How  can  I  un- 
rhapsodize  my  words  and  meaning  in  consonance  to  meet  the 
sure  and  strident  feeling  that  I  also  am  a  lover  without  a  lover, 
and  feel  more  intensely  the  keenness  of  the  tilt  that  takes  from 
me  my  lover,  the  ideal  of  my  love,  he  whom  I  love,  to  make  it 
surely  understood  that  he  has  no  greater  lover  ?  O  bourne ! 
sweet  solace  of  bliss !  whence  art  thou  and  why  am  I  not  one  of 
thine?     Mr.  Millyard — but  listen,  there  comes  the  man." 

Bertha  Rosenstin  should  have  been  an  actress,  she  was  an 
actress  off  the  stage. 

The  noise  Bertha  said  she  heard  was  a  false  alarm,  so  far  as 
having  reference  to  them. 

"  Mr.  Millyard,  do  you  fail  to  comprehend  that  the  more  we 
try  to  explain  this  matter  to  that  simple  but  kind-natured  man 
the  worse  we  will  make  it?"  inquired  Bertha  in  tones  of  voice 
ranging  from  sharp  flat  in  soprano  to  deep  contralto.  Then,  al- 
though he  attempted  to  reply,  she  added : 

"  It  is  but  natural,  under  the  circumstances,  that  this  officer  of 
the  law  should  place  us  in  the  same  room  together.  Don't  you 
think  so?  If  I  can  afford  to  remain  in  this  room  with  you  should 
you,  a  gentleman,  blast  us  by  a  demastus  and  deny  us  the  fruits 
of  the  role  ?  " 

"  Bertha,  dear  woman,  I  am  in  trouble.  I  am — there's  some 
one  at  the  door." 


Roomed  Together.  67 


CHAPTER  XI. 


ROOMED    TOGETHER. 


"  Dinner's  ready,"  said  a  sweet  voice,  as  a  little  girl  opened 
the  door,  and  then  disappeared. 

"  Bertha,"  said  Millyard,  advancing  toward  the  door,  "  I  am  in 
trouble  enough,  let's  go  to  dinner.  I  do  not  see  my  way  out.  It 
is  all  on  your  account.  Here  I  am  kidnapped,  placed  on  board  a 
vessel  bound  for  a  foreign  port ;  have  not  even  a  change  of  cloth- 
ing and  not  a  cent  of  money " 

"  I  have  money,  I  told  you,"  she  interrupted,  advancing  toward 
him  at  the  door,  "  and  you  shall  have  it  all  and  more  besides." 

"  But  you,  as  well  as  myself,"  he  retorted,  going  outside  into 
the  hallway,  she  following,  "  are  to  be  returned  from  whence  we 
came,  perhaps  I  to  prison.  I  am  not  prepared  to  endure  any  just 
punishment." 

"  Dear,  charming  man  ;  you  have  my  heart  and  soul.  I  love 
you  now  more  than  ever."  Walking  up  by  his  side  as  they  ad- 
vanced to  the  head  of  the  stairway  she  put  one  arm  upon  his 
shoulder,  continuing :  '  You  do  not  dislike  me,  are  not  -dis- 
pleased with  me  because  I  love  you  ?  '" 

"  Good  gracious !  sweet  girl,  no.  That  is  one  thing  that  stirs  a 
man's  soul  as  well  as  his  blood — for  a  handsome  young  woman  to 
love  him.  I  would  love  you  if  I  could.  As  I  told  vou,  I  love  an- 
other." 

"  You  shall  not  have  another  love,  a  greater  love  than  you  can 
have  for  me."  Saying  this  she  shoved  him  from  her,  exhibit- 
ing the  deepest  human  passion,  jealousy,  and  a  spirit  of  revenge. 
Still  they  continued  together  toward  the  dining-room. 

"  I  will  come  and  cook  for  you,  do  anything  for  you  so  I  can 
be  near  where  you  are  and  can  see  you,"  appealingly  and  pathet- 
cally  said  Bertha  as  he  was  nearing  the  dining-room  door  and 
she  close  behind. 


68  The  Lady  of  New  Orleans. 

He  did  not  reply.  They  entered  the  dining-room  and  took 
seats  beside  each  other. 

Mr.  Millyard  chanced  to  engage  in  conversation  with  a  gen- 
tleman who  sat  opposite  to  him  at  the  table.  He  was  Captain 
Collins,  the  U.  S.  officer  and  engineer  in  charge  of  the  survey 
and  soundings  at  the  mouth  of  the  Mississippi  river.  Sound- 
ings had  to  be  made  daily  in  the  passes  and  over  the  bars  because 
the  current  was  so  treacherous  and  shifting  that  the  channel  must 
needs  be  pointed  out,  or  indicated  to  the  pilots  at  every  change. 
A  small  steam  launch  was  kept  there  for  the  purpose.  This  lit- 
tle affair  had  been  dubbed  "  Collins'  Ram." 

Captain  Collins  invited  Mr. .  Millyard  to  become  his  guest  on 
a  sounding  expedition  during  the  afternoon.  It  was  such  an  op- 
portunity as  thousands  of  men  would  have  craved,  and  was  not  to 
be  put  aside  by  Mr.  Millyard,  and  he  readily  accepted. 

"  You  are  not  going  to  leave  me  are  you,  Mr.  Millyard  ?  "  in- 
quired Miss  Bertha  as  they  were  returning  to  their  room.  "  I 
shall  be  dreadfully  lonely  without  you  ;  besides,  I  am  afraid  this 
is  some  scheme  for  you  to  be  rid  of  me." 

"  If  it  is  I  know  nothing  of  it,  Bertha.  We  are  going  out  there 
on  the  gulf  just  across  the  bar,"  said  Millyard,  pointing  out  at  the 
south  window  in  their  room,  "  so  Captain  Collins  said.  Of 
course  this  officer  will  require  him  to  bring  me  back  in  time  for 
him  to  put  me  on  board  the  first  passenger  steamer  going  up.  He 
said  that  would  be  nearly  night." 

"  I  am  going  too,"  she  asserted.  "  I  can't  stay  here  by  my- 
self." 

"  But  you  were  going  to  Havre  without  me." 

"  I  wanted  to  get  away  from  my  unnatural  father  and  that  foul 
stepmother.     I  was  forced  to  go." 

"  Can  you  not  be  as  considerate  about  matters  under  other  cir- 
cumstances ?  " 

"  This  is  different.  I  had  not  been  with  you  then  as  I  am  with 
you  now.  Since  I  have  confided  my  heart  and  all  my  love  to  you 
the  fright  is  gone  and  I  want  you  near  me  all  the  time." 

"  We  can  talk  to-night  on  board  the  steamer.  It  is  a  hundred 
miles  up  to  New  Orleans,  and  we  will  be  on  board  until  six  or 
seven  o'clock  in  the  morning." 

Mr.  Millyard  had  the  opportunity  of  one  man  in  fifty  million 
in  a  double  lifetime  and  he  was  determined  to  take  advantage  of 
it.     Besides,  the  reasoning  of  his  philosophy  at  the  time  was  an- 


Roomed  Together.  69 

tagonistic  to  his  remaining  in  that  room  with  the  young  woman 
during  that  afternoon. 

"  I  will  be  so  lone "  She  was  interrupted  by  a  gentle  knock 

at  their  chamber  door. 

"  Come  in,"  cried  Millyard. 

"  Capt'n  Collins  with  'is  ram's  ready 'n  waitin'  fer  yer  ter  take 
ther  cruise,"  said  the  polite,  if  rough  officer  as  he  half-opened 
the  door  and  stood  therein. 

"  All  right,  Mr.  Officer,  I  am  coming." 

"  Please  don't  go,"  beseeched  Bertha,  following  Millyard.  She 
began  sobbing  and,  halting,  buried  her  face  in  her  handkerchief. 
Suddenly  she  drew  herself  up  at  full  stature  as  if  in  great  passion, 
shouting : 

"  Where's  my  trunk  ?  " 

The  sympathetic  officer,  holding  the  door  with  one  hand  and 
placing  the  other  akimbo,  said : 

"  That's  so,  madam.     Did  you  have  a  trunk?  " 

"  Of  course  I  did,"  exclaimed  Bertha,  rather  snappishly. 

"  I  might  er  knowd  yer  did,"  he  replied  placatingly.  "  No 
woman  leaves  home  without  'er  trunk,  even  ef  she  is'n  a  hurry. 
But  why  didn't  yer  have  it  took  off 'n  ther  Hilda  ?  " 

"  I  never  thought  of  it  until  now,"  retorted  Bertha.  Then  she 
sank  down  on  the  floor  in  a  fit  of  hysterics,  exclaiming: 

"  I  want  my  trunk.  I  must  have  my  trunk.  All  my  precious 
things  are  in  my  trunk.     Get  my  trunk." 

Her  voice  died  away.     She  had  swooned. 

Millyard,  assisted  by  the  officer,  lifted  Bertha  from  the  floor 
and  placed  her  on  the  bed. 

"  Hold  up,  young  man,  till  I  run  git  the  camphire  an'  fetch  the 
ole  'oman."     Saying  this  the  officer  rushed  out  of  the  room. 

Millyard  was  leaning  over  Bertha  gently  rubbing  her  fore- 
head with  the  palm  of  his  hand  when  the  officer  returned  with  the 
camphor  accompanied  by  his  ole  'oman. 

Millyard  filled  the  palm  of  one  hand  with  camphor  and  sousing 
it  on  the  girl's  forehead  laved  it  down  over  her  face. 

"  Goodness  sakes !  man ;  that  ain't  the  way,"  exclaimed  the  ole 
'oman.     "  Put  it  to  'er  nose." 

Millyard  had  adopted,  unwittingly,  however,  the  speedier 
method  of  restoration.  As  soon  as  the  camphor  got  into  Bertha's 
eyes  she  opened  them  and  jumped  with  a  whoop.  Millyard 
stood  back.     The  ole  'oman  wiped  the  girl's  eyes  at  the  intervals 


70  The  Lady  of  New  Orleans. 

when  Bertha  was  not  endeavoring  to  gouge  them  out  with  her 
fists. 

"  Where  am  I  ? "  asked  Bertha  in  a  strange  voice.  Then 
glancing  in  a  wild  stare  at  Mr.  Millyard  she  exclaimed :  "  You 
here,  Mr.  Millyard?     I  thought  they  had  you  in  prison." 

"  Gracious,"  yelled  Millyard.  "  I  wonder  if  she  has  lost  her 
mind?     Give  her  some  more  camphor." 

The  good  old  woman  commenced  administering  the  camphor 
in  more  moderate  and  business  like  doses  and  in  a  more  rational 
way. 

Captain  Collins  sent  word  by  one  of  the  children  that- he  could 
not  wait  any  longer.  Millyard  said  he  would  come  immediately. 
Bertha  overheard  him.     She  cried  out : 

'  Please  don't  leave  me."    Then  she  fainted  again. 

The  little  steam  launch  "  Collins'  Ram,"  as  they  called  the 
craft,  went  about  three  miles  due  south  of  pass  I' outre  bar  where 
Captain  Collins,  aided  by  two  assistants,  commenced  taking 
soundings  and  recording  them  in  a  book  for  the  purpose.  From 
thence  they  proceeded  on  a  due  course  back  toward  the  bar. 

After  a  while  the  craft  was  suddenly  struck  sideways  by  a  high 
sea.  The  huge  waves  rolled  over  the  little  sea-going  screw 
steamer,  completely  enveloping  it  for  several  seconds  at  a  time  on 
four  or  five  occasions  in  rather  quick  succession.  But  the  little 
thing,  like  a  cork,  shot  from  under  very  quickly.  Captain  Col- 
lins and  his  crew  took  it  calmly  and  quite  coolly.  But  it  was  a 
new  and  fresh,  if  not  also  refreshing,  experience  for  Millyard. 

The  waves  could  be  seen  as  they  were  coming  one  after  another, 
through  the  thick  glass  windows  at  the  sides  of  the  lone  cabin 
room.  When  the  waves  became  so  low  that  the  little  ram  could 
ride  them,  from  their  crest  Millyard  could  look  down  on  Pilot 
Town  two  miles  or  more  away  and  he  consoled  himself  with  the 
brilliant  reflection  that  God  is  good  and  Man  is  a  genius. 

Captain  Collins,  observing  three  or  four  tugs  putting  out  to  sea 
from  the  east  side  of  Pilot  Town  three  miles  or  more  from  them, 
remarked : 

"  The  boys  in  the  tower  have  sighted  a  craft.  She'll  be  here 
in  about  three  hours,  or  less.  We  must  hurry  back  and  put  you 
to  your  berth  on  shore." 

After  cruising  tortuously  about  the  bar  Captain  Collins  finally 
landed  Millyard  at  the  home  of  the  officer  of  the  law. 

Bertha  had  recovered  from  her  attack  of  tantrums  and  was  as 


Roomed  Together.  71 

vivacious  as  if  she  were  not  passing  through  an  ordeal.  The 
only  disturber  of  her  equanimity  being  shown  in  her  lamentations 
for  her  trunk. 

The  Pilot  Town  officer  of  the  law  came  into  the. room  where 
were  Miss  Bertha  and  Millyard,  with  a  long  spy-glass  in  hand 
and  said : 

"  Now  le's  see  which  one  er  the  boys  '11  git  'er."  He  placed 
the  glass  to  his  eyes  and  looking  out  through  the  window,  which 
had  been  raised  all  day ;  he  scanned  the  gulf  during  a  few  mo- 
ments, then  said : 

"  Ah,  there  she  is.     Now  vou  k'n  look  right  where  I'm  holdin' 

it-" 

Bertha,  who  had  been  addressed,  took  the  glass  and  looking  a 

moment  or  two  observed : 

"  O,  yes,  I  see  it.     Those  tugs  are  making  right  for  it." 

"  Uv  course   they  ar'.     An'   the  fust   one   whut  gits   there,    or 

speaks  to  'er,   as  the   sayin'  is   '11  be  the   one  whut'll   take  'er  ter 

ther  wharf  up-town." 

His   explanation   being  clear   enough  it   now   came   Millyard's 

turn  to  look.     He  proceeded  with  great  complacency  to  make  the 

observation.     He  had  been  out  to  sea,  if  it  was  in  Collins'  Ram. 

He  remarked : 

"  The  tugs  are  approaching  very  near  to  her  now." 

Taking  the  glasses  and  looking,  the  bluff  old  gulf-stager  said : 

"  O,  they're  two  miles  apart  yit.     But  yer  see  they're  meetin' ; 

so  'twon't  be  so  long.     Bill  Temple's  ahead,  way  head.     He'll  git 

'er;  he's  skimmin'  the  foam."     The  old  fellow  continued  to  hold 

the  glasses  and  was  in  a  glow  of  excitement.     Presently  he  said : 

"  Xow  she's  slowin'.     Be  gosh!  Bill's  got  'er."     He  lowered  the 

glass  with    a  sigh    and    turning  to    Bertha    continued :  "  Now    I 

reckon  he  k'n  pay  me  that  are  five'er  'e  horrid  Saturday  night. 

You  see,  Bill's  bin  kinder  lazy  here  lately 'n  got  berhind." 

About  half  an  hour  later,  or  after  sunset  the  big  steamer  had 

crossed  the  bar  and  halted,  or  come  as  near  halting  as  it  could, 

opposite   the  Pilot   Town   officer's   house.     Bertha  and    Millyard 

had  been  rowed  out  near  midstream  and  were  put  on  board. 

The  officer  made  whatever  arrangements  that  were  necessary, 

with  the  Captain  of  the  steamer  for  him  to  take  the  couple  up  to 

the  city. 

The  embarkation  and  the  making  of  the  arrangements  all  had 

to  be  done  very  quickly,  as  the  steamer  did  not  entirely  cease  to 

move. 


72  The  Lady  of  New  Orleans. 


CHAPTER  XII. 

IN  THE  SAME  CABIN-ROOM. 

Beautiful  visions,  fairy-like  images  floated  in  Bertha  Rosen  - 
stin's  fancy.  She  was  as  cheerful  as  a  chirping  cricket,  or  critic. 
She  loved  Mr.  Millyard  and  if  he  would  not  marry  her,  nor  take 
her  to  him  willingly,  she  had  the  object  in  view  of  forcing  such 
a  condition. 

"  By  all  the  saints  and  martyrs  too,  Miss  Bertha,  Fate,  or  some 
other  untoward  influence  is  bent  on  forcing  us  together,"  ex- 
claimed Millyard,  having  returned  from  the  Purser's  desk  to 
where  Bertha  was  seated  on  a  wicker  lounge  in  the  ladies'  saloon. 
'  In  many  contests  have  I  engaged  but  never  one  against  my  will 
before.  Were  I  on  the  other  tack  I  believe  upon  my  soul  I 
would  with  opposition  be  beset.  This  looks  to  me  like  a  put-up 
job ;  we  are  assigned  to  the  same  cabin-room." 

"  Ah,  indeed,  is  that  so  strange  ?  "  said  Bertha,  indifferently, 
tossing  her  superb  head  to  one  side  and  carefully  resting  her 
folded  hands  in  her  ample  lap.  "  Did  you  not  consider  that  the 
kind-hearted  officer  would  inform  the  Captain  that  we  are  an 
intercepted  runaway  married  couple  being  returned  to  New 
Orleans  ?  For  what  good  was  the  officer,  if  not  to  give  such  in- 
formation? I  see  no  other  course  but  to  make  the  best  of  our 
bargain.  If  you  object  now,  you  only  subject  your  own  self  to 
the  obloquy  of  deserting  a  helpless  woman  at  the  last  moment  in 
extremity." 

'  I  will  remain  right  here  all  night,"  exclaimed  Millyard,  seat- 
ing himself  heavily  on  the  wicker  sofa  and  thrusting  his  hands 
deeply  in  his  trousers'  pockets. 

'  Will  you  be  permitted  to  do  so?  "  inquired  Bertha  with  some 
show  of  asperity. 

"If  not,  as  a  last  resort  I  will  tell  the  clerk  we  are  not  man  and 
wife  and  demand  a  separate  room." 

"  If  you  have  no  money  how  will  you  pay  for  it?     Besides,  that 


In  the  Same  Cabin-Room.  73 

is  the  very  thing,  as  I  said,  which  will  be  more  your  undoing 
than  mine. 

'  I  do  not  intend  to  remain  at  my  father's  home  with  him  and' 
that  awful  stepmother  of  mine ;  I  will  leave  at  the  very  first  op- 
portunity. If  you  do  not  let  me  gO'  with  you  I  do  not  care  what 
becomes  of  me." 

"  If  your  irascible,  ill-bred  father  meets  us  before  we  land,  or 
learns  afterward  that  we  occupied  the  same  cabin-room  during 
this  night  he  will  have  me.  sent  to  the  Parish  prison  in  spite  of  all 
creation.  I  cannot  face  that  ordeal.  I  have  enough  trouble.  In 
fact  it  is  quite  probable  that  both  of  us  will  be  arrested  any  way 
as  soon  as  this  steamer  arrives  at  her  landing." 

'  Ye's,  that  would  be  just  like  father,  he  is  so  mean  to  me  and 
allows  that  stepmother  to  treat  me  so  cruelly.  If  some  one  does 
not  meet  me  at  the  wharf  I  will  not  go  home.     I'll  go  with  you." 

"  Bertha,  can  you  not  perceive  the  futility  of  hoping  for  such 
a  procedure  as  that?  Go  to  Parish  prison  immediately?  Not  I. 
That  is  what  it  would  mean.  That  would  be  the  upshot  even, 
were  I  to  be  apprehended  in  your  company.  You  surely  do  not 
desire  me  imprisoned?" 

"  No.  never!  "  she  exclaimed  passionately.  "  I  had  rather  be 
imprisoned  myself." 

'  Then  you  should  be  sufficiently  discreet  so  that  I  may  not  be 
imperiled,"  replied  Millyard. 

"  I  will  not  go  to  father's  home,"  she  cried. 

'  What  is  Hecuba  to  me,  or  I  to  Hecuba  ?  "  said  Millyard  non- 
chalantly, gazing  across  the  saloon. 

The  great  steamer  landed  at  Quarantine ;  then,  after  consider- 
able delay,  sped  on  again. 

The  saloon  had  been  crowded  with  passengers  during  the  fore- 
part of  the-  evening,  but  was  then  almost  deserted.  It  was  nearing 
midnight. 

After  awhile  a  woman  approached  Millyard,  but  addressing 
herself  more  directly  to  Bertha,  said : 

"  I  will  show  you  to  your  cabin-room." 

"  We  are  not  sleepy,"  said  Millyard. 

"  Passengers  are  expected  to  retire  by  twelve  o'clock,"  said  the 
maid. 

'  But  you  have  only  one  berth  for  us,"  persisted  Millyard, 
showing  no  sign  of  complying  with  the  rules  of  the  boat. 

"  There  happens  to  be  two  berths,  in  your  room,"  retorted  the 


74  The  Lady  of  New  Orleans. 

maid,  as  she  took  the  shawl  from  Bertha,  who  arose  and  started 
with  her. 

When  they  had  moved  a  few  paces  Bertha  turned  and  looking 
back  at  Millyard  peremptorily  commanded : 

"  Come  along."     Demurely  or  not,  he  slowly  followed. 

The  door  of  the  cabin-room  was  opened  by  the  maid,  who 
said : 

"  There,  you  can  see  you  have  two  berths." 

Bertha  walked  inside.     Millyard  halted  at  the  door. 

"  Come  in,"  said  Bertha,  testily. 

Alternatives  were  not  for  discussion  by  Millyard  at  that  junc- 
ture. In  he  went.  The  maid,  who  was  outside,  closed  the  door. 
Bertha,  on  the  inside,  bolted  it. 

There  were  two  chairs  in  the  room.  Millyard  seated  himself 
in  one  of  them.  Finally  Bertha  occupied  the  other.  At  length 
Millyard,  who  had  his  chin  resting  in  one  hand  and  his  elbow  in 
the  other  hand,  glanced  at  Bertha  and  blurted  out : 

'  What  a  howling  bust !  Miss  Bertha,  this  is  awful !  " 

1  Yes  ;  but  it  might  be  worse,"  she  calmly  replied. 

'  Well ;  if  we  are  compelled  to  remain  in  here  together  I  will 
climb  up-stairs ;  you  can  remain  down  here,"  said  Millyard  with 
much  earnestness.     "  But  I  must  take  off  my  shoes." 

"  Any  way  you  say,"  petulantly  she  retorted.  "  I  must  take  off 
my  shoes  and  my  corset  also." 

Millyard  jerked  off  his  shoes  as  if  in  a  bad  humor  and,  fling- 
ing his  coat  on  the  chair,  climbed  to  the  upper  berth. 

"  That  is  very  cool,"  said  Bertha,  who  meantime  had  divested 
herself  of  her  waist  and  was  unfastening  her  corset.  "  Aren't  you 
going  to  kiss  me  good  night  ?  " 

"  Certainly,"  replied  Millyard.  ;'  I  am  such  a  novice  at  this 
sort  of  business  I  never  thought  of  that." 

He  leaned  over  the  side  of  the  berth  and  reached  his  head  down 
as  far  as  he  could.  Bertha,  who  by  that  time  had  got  her  corset  off 
and  flung  it  on  the  floor,  was  tiptoeing  while  reaching  her  red, 
pouting  lips  up  toward  those  of  Mr.  Millyard.  Both  were  strain- 
ing every  nerve  reaching  as  far  as  they  could,  but  their  lips  could 
scarcely  meet  in  contact. 

"  Rea "  muttered  Bertha  laughing,  without  concluding  her 

speech,  being  interrupted  by  Millyard,  who  said  : 

"  Bertha,  you  look  glori — " 

His  remark  was  also  never  finished.  Millyard  was  suddenly  pre- 


In  the  Same  Cabin-Room.  75 

cipitated  forward ;  he  plunged  head-foremost  to  the  floor,  except 
that  his  hands  struck  first.  Had  he  not  hit  partially  against  Ber- 
tha in  his  descent  and  thus  impeded  his  fall  his  neck  might  have 
been  broken.  The  steamer  had  made  a  fearful  lurch  at  the  inop- 
portune moment.  Probably  it  had  struck  a  huge  tree  floating  in 
the  river.  f 

Bertha,  who  was  knocked  sprawling  against  one  of  the 
chairs,  screamed. 

"  Hist !  You  will  alarm  the  people,"  softly  hissed  Millyard,  ris- 
ing to  a  sitting  posture  on  the  floor. 

"Are  you  hurt?"  asked  Bertha. 

"  Only  my  thumb,"  he  replied,  shaking  his  hand  up  and  down 
and  squirming.    "  It  seems  to  be  broken." 

"Poor  thumb;  let  me  see  it!"  she  said,  taking  the  injured 
thumb  in  her  tender  fingers  and  rubbing  it  soothingly. 

"  I  am  afraid  I  will  need  a  doctor  for  it,"  said  Millyard,  getting 
up  and  taking  a  seat  in  the  chair. 

"  I  will  go  get  the  doctor.  I  wish  I  had  some  of  that  camphor 
you  put  on  my  face  and  in  my  eyes." 

"  It  pains  me  dreadfully,"  said  Millyard,  smiling  and  half  groan- 
ing. "  However,  I  guess  I  will  have  to  tough  it  through.  I  see  it 
is  only  dislocated  and  not  broken." 

"  No,  no.  I  will  go  get  the  doctor  at  once."  So  saying  Bertha 
hurriedly  donned  her  waist  and  shoes  and,  pulling  her  shawl 
around  her  shoulders,  dashed  out  in  quest  of  the  doctor. 

Millyard  was  suffering  excruciating  agonies.  A  dislocated 
thumb  pains  even  worse  than  does  the  toothache.  In  a  short  time 
Bertha  returned.  She  said  she  saw  the  night  clerk  or  night  watch, 
and  he  would  send  the  doctor  immediately. 

"  Bertha,  you  are  too  short,"  smilingly  said  Millyard  between 
soft  moans  while  squeezing  on  his  left  wrist  with  his  right  hand, 
endeavoring  to  allay  the  pain. 

"  You  shall  not  be  disappointed,"  proclaimed  Bertha,  placing 
her  palms  against  his  cheeks  and  kissing  him. 

"  Come  in,"  cried  Bertha  in  response  to  a  thumping  rap  on  the 
cabin  door.    And  the  doctor  of  the  steamer  entered. 

"  What's  the  matter  ?  "  gruffly  he  inquired. 

"  The  steamer  must  have  struck  against  something,"  said  Mill- 
yard.  "  It  suddenly  lurched  and  threw  me  from  the  upper  berth 
to  the  floor  and  I  think  my  thumb  is  dislocated." 

The  doctor  took  the  thumb  in  his  hand  without  saying  a  word 


j6  The  Lady  of  New  Orleans. 

and  pulled  it  hard.  The  thumb  popped:  it  was  in  place  again. 
The  doctor  got  poultice  and,  bandaging  the  thumb,  left  them  to 
themselves.  It  was  then  three  o'clock  and  the  steamer  was  forty 
miles  from  New  Orleans. 

"  You  see  how  easy  it  is  to  do  a  thing  when  you  know  how  ?  " 
remarked  Millyard.  "  Now  I  guess  I  will  climb  up  to  roost 
again." 

""I  kissed  you,  now  you  kiss  me  before  you  climb  up  to  roost, 
as  you  say,"  said  Bertha,  having  doffed  her  shawl  and  waist. 

"  I  suppose  so,  since  you  have  been  so  kind,"  replied  Millyard, 
suiting  the  action  to  the  words. 

"  Now  I  will  get  up-stairs,  as  you  call  it,"  said  Bertha,  "  and  you 
remain  down  here." 

"  O,  no ;  I  would  not  have  you  do  that.    I  must  get  up  there." 

"  I  intend  to  get  up  there,  too,"  she  retorted,  making  the  at- 
tempt but  failing.    "  Lift  me  up,  then  I  can  make  it." 

Mr.  Millyard  caught  hold  of  her  round  the  waist  with  his  right 
arm  and  hoisted  her  until  she  could  reach  over  to  the  back  side  of 
the  berth  with  her  hands.  She  was  grappling  with  her  fingers  for 
a  hold  on  the  covering  or  anything  else  while  her  waist  was  rest- 
ing on  the  edge  of  the  bunk  and  her  feet  and  legs  were  dangling 
and  gesticulating  eloquently  below, 

"  Catch  hold  of  my  feet  and  push  me  up,"  yelled  Bertha,  laugh- 
ing hysterically,  making  the  proper  suggestion. 

"Methodically,  or  mechanically,  Millyard  complied,  taking  hold 
of  one  foot  with  his  undisabled  hand  and  giving  her  a  lift  which 
landed  her  "  safe  and  sound." 

Assuming  a  sitting  posture  on  the  berth  above  she  began  un- 
packing her  luxurious  growth  of  hair. 

"  In  my  hurry  to  get  up  here  I  failed  to  take  off  my  stockings," 
said  Bertha,  mournfully.  , 

"  I  thought  you  wanted  to  keep  them  on,"  said  Millyard.     '  You' 
will  be  in  a  hurry  when  we  get  to  New  Orleans." 

Concluding  to  keep  them  on,  Bertha  finally  cuddled  down  and 
made  a  noise  as  if  she  was  sobbing.  Mr.  Millyard  thought  she 
was  weeping. 

He  crawled  in  the  lower  berth  and  soon  was  fast  asleep. 


What  Happened  to  Millyard.  77 


CHAPTER  XIII. 

WHAT   HAPPENED   TO    MILLYARD. 

The  steamer  landed  at  her  wharf  in  New  Orleans  soon  after 
daylight. 

The  first  person  to  rush  across  the  gangway  was  the  excited 
Mr.  Morritz  Rosenstin. 

"  Var'sh  mine  Bertah  ?  Var'sh  mine  daughtar  Bertah  ?  "  shouted 
the  Polak  in  broken  sentences  and  broken  but  not  exhausted  wind, 
his  whiskers  and  his  hair  sticking  out. 

'  Who's  your  daughter?  "  demanded  the  purser  of  the  steamer. 

'  She  vas  ter  got  on  at  Bilot  Down,"  replied  the  Polak,  jigger- 
ing  about  in  his  steps  like  a  monkey  dancing  a  jig  to  hornpipe 
music  made  on  a  bagpipe. 

'  The  lady  who  boarded  us  at  Pilot  Town  is  in  sixteen." 

Old  man  Rosenstin  rushed  for  room  No.  16.  Bang,  bang,  bang, 
he  rapped  on  the  door. 

"  Bertah,  Bertah!    Vos  you  in  dare?" 

Bertha  was  awakened.  She  answered  and  climbed  down  from 
the  upper  berth.  She  opened  the  door  slightly  and  cried  out  to 
her  father: 

"  Wait !    Can't  you  wait  till  I  put  on  my  shoes  and  things?  " 

She  closed  the  door  and  proceeded  to  put  on  her  shoes,  corset 
and  frock  waist.  Mr.  Millyard  had  not  awakened.  Loss  of  sleep 
two  succeeding  nights  had  rendered  him  a  happy  sleeper. 

Bertha  was  slower  than  the  old  man  desired,  or  he  was  more 
impatient  than  was  proper.  Anyway  he  slammed  the  door  open, 
yelling : 

'  Vasn't  you  com "     His  eyes  fell  upon  Millyard  in  the 

lower  birth. 

"  Mine  Ghott !  Bertah  !  Vot  man  vos  dot  ?  O,  Bertah,  Bertah ! 
you  done  broke  mine  heart!    Vot  shall  I  do?  " 

"  You  have  no  heart,"  screamed  Bertha  in  a  rage.  "  Why  did 
you  force  yourself  in  here?  " 


78  The  Lady  of  New  Orleans. 

;'  Bertah,  vot  mon  vos  dot  ?  "  he  asked  pleadingly  and  holding 
out  his  hand  in  the  direction  of  Millyard. 

Just  then  Mr.  Millyard  awoke  and  turned  over  in  the  berth  fac- 
ing the  old  man. 

'  Mine  Ghott'n  himmel !  Bertah,  you  got  dot  mon  in  here  mit 
you  ?  Sleepin'  mit  you  ?  O,  mine  Ghott,  mine  Ghott !  You  done 
broke  mine  heart !  Git  out  frum  dare,  you  villuns !  You  got  ter 
marry  mine  Bertah  right  er  vay.  You  vos  von  gran'  scoundrel! 
O,  mine  Ghott,  mine  Ghott !    Vot  shall  I  do  ?  " 

Exhausting  his  vocabulary  of  expletives,  which  were  many  in. 
addition  to  these  recounted,  a  reaction  of  the  nerves  took  place  and 
the  outraged  old  man  sank  down  in  a  chair  wailing  in  moans  of 
subdued  tones. 

Bertha  was  putting  the  finishing  touches  on  her  hair  as  best  the 
poor  girl  could  without  brush  or  comb. 

Mr.  Millyard  raised  himself  as  if  he  were  going  to  get  off  the 
bunk ;  his  feet  were  dangling  over  the  deck  rail,  as  it  were,  of  the 
berth.    He  spoke  calmly  : 

"  Look  here,  old  man,  haven't  we  met  before?  Aren't  you 
hog-shearing,  making  much  ado  about  nothing?  I  admit  things  and 
circumstances  do  look  distressingly  against  us  to  our  disadvantage, 
but  I  can  assure  you  that  young  lady  is  as  pure  as  she  was  when 
she  came  in  here.  You  had  me  kidnapped  and  placed  on  board  the 
Hilda,  where  your  daughter  had  been  placed  by  you " 

"  Me  ?  "  interrupted  the  old  man.  "  Had  you  kidnapped  ? 
Nine " 

'  Well,  you  got  the  police  to  do  it."  quickly  snapped  Millyard, 
interrupting  the  Polak  in  return.      '  You  telegraphed  and  had  us 

arrested  and  taken  from  aboard  the  Hilda  at  Pilot  Town " 

"  I  do  not  delergraph  fer  you  ter  be  'restid,"  again  interposed 
Mr.  Rosenstin.  "  I  told  dem  ter  delegraph  fur  mine  Bertah.  She 
dos  not  go  mit  you  on  dot  steamer.  Ven  I  hear  you  vos  on  dare 
I  got  me  crazy.  Unt  den  I  got  der  sheif  mit  der  berleace  ter  dele- 
graph  unt  haf  'er  sent  back  right  ervay." 

'  The  officer  showed  us  the  telegram,  which  stated  that  the 
girl's  father  ordered  us  arrested  and  sent  back  to  New  Orleans, 
and  you  are  to  blame  for  it.  That  is  what  caused  the  officer  to 
think  we  were  married  and  probably  running  away.  That  is  the 
reason  the  officer  insisted,  or  persisted,  in  keeping  us  in  the  same 
room  at  Pilot  Town,  and  his  arranging  with  the  captain  of  this 
steamer  whereby  we  were  compelled  to  occupy  the  same  cabin- 


What  Happened  to  Millyard.  79 

room.  But  you  can  see  there  are  two  berths.  Miss  Bertha  slept  up 
there  and  I  slept  down  here.  She  insisted  on  sleeping  up  there 
and  would  not  allow  me  to  get  up  there,  because  when  I  did  get  up 
there  I  fell  out  and  dislocated  this  thumb. 

"  I  was  abducted  before  daylight  yesterday  morning  from  my 
boarding-house  by  three  men  and  put  on  board  the  Hilda  without 
my  having  any  change  of  clothing  or  a  cent  of  money.  So  I  could 
not  arrange  for  any  other  accommodations  than  those  which  were 
furnished  me,  as  if  I  were  a  prisoner.  You  can  ask  your  daughter 
if  what  I  state  is  correct." 

"  Father,  what  Mr.  Millyard  says  is  every  word  the  truth.  I 
do  not  want  to  go  to  your  home ;  you  are  too  mean  to  me.  So  is 
that  old  hussy  you  got  there  for  a  wife.  And  yet  you  want  me, 
your  own  daughter !  Never !  "  She  had  reached  the  impassioned 
climax  of  her  indignation  and  repulsion  to  her  father  and  to  his 
home.  Her  last  words  were  uttered  clear  and  loud.  Her  father 
was  not  surprised — he  seemed  stupefied.  She  then  continued 
more  calmly : 

"  I  loved  Mr.  Millyard,  now  I  love  him  more  than  ever.  He  is 
a  glorious  gentleman.  I  think  he  will  love  me,  some,  after  awhile. 
You  may  go  to  your  home,  if  you  like.    I  can  take  care  of  myself." 

"  Vos  yer  goin'  ter  got  marrit?"  asked  the  old  man,  looking 
piteously  at  Millyard. 

'  Probably,"  replied  Bertha,  intercepting;  "  but  not  now.    How 
much  will  you  give  us  if  we  get  married  ?  " 
•  "  I  gif  yer  dot  'ouse  ant  lot  in  Carrollton." 

"  Is  that  all  ?  "  sneeringly  replied  Miss  Bertha. 

'  Unt  I  gif  yer  one  tousant  toller,"  he  replied,  slashing  the  air 
with  his  open  hand.    "  Dosh  vos  all  vot  I  gif." 

'  That  is  not  enough.  More  or  none,"  said  Bertha  proudly,  toss- 
ing her  shawl  around  her  shoulders. 

'  Bertah,  you  comes  mit  me,"  said  her  father,  getting  up  and 
placing  a  hand  on  the  door.    "  Ve  goes  home  right  ervay." 

"  I'll  go  with  you  now,  but  I  won't  stay,"  said  Bertha,  moving 
slightly  toward  him  and  glancing  at  Millyard,  who  was  still  sitting 
on  the  side  of  the  berth.    "  I  will  see  you  again  soon,  won't  I  ?  " 

"  I  presume  so,"  replied  Millyard,  not  knowing  what  else  to  say, 
and  adding :    "  If  your  father  does  not  send  me  to  prison." 

"  He  shall  not  do  that,"  asserted  Bertha.  "  There's  nothing  for 
which  he  can  send  you  there." 

"  Vare  vos  yer  drunk  ?  "  asked  the  old  man  of  Bertha. 


8o  The  Lady  of  New  Orleans. 

"  On  the  Hilda,"  she  complacently  replied. 

"  Mine  Ghott,  vot  foolishness  !  "  exclaimed  Rosenstin.  "  Vos 
yer  done  gone  got  crazy?  Come  in  der  room  mit  der  mon  ter 
sleep  and  leaves  yer  drunk  mit  der  udder  steamer !  Ef  dot  vos  not 
craziness  vot  vos  it?  "  Bertha  did  not  deign  to  answer  the  ques- 
tion, and  it  was  none  of  Mr.  Millyard's  business. 

"  You  caused  it  to  be  left  on  the  Hilda,"  said  Bertha  presently. 
"  Why  didn't  you  telegraph  to  the  officer  to  take  my  trunk  off  the 
steamer  as  well  as  me  ?  " 

"  Dot  vould  pin  nice  pizness,"  said  Rosenstin,  sneeringly.  Turn- 
ing toward  Millyard  he  continued :  "  An  officer  mit  der  law  vos 
out  on  der  varf  vaitin'  ver  yer.  He  dakes  yer  ter  briscu.  Dot 
vos  too  tin  vot  yer  say ;  you  vos  in  dot  lower  bert'  mit  Bertah.  She 
vos  not  up  dare.    Bertah  vos  too  smart  fer  dot." 

Bertha  and  her  irate  father  departed,  leaving  Millyard  still 
seated  on  the  edge  of  the  berth  silently  contemplating  the  last  re- 
marks of  old  Rosenstin. 

The  sun  had  risen  above  Algiers  and  was  shining  across  the 
river  over  the  steamer  and  over  New  Orleans. 

"  Well,     well,     well,"    mused     Millyard.      I'm     blest     if     this 

ain't .    I'll  not  say  it,  but  it  beats  me.    I  can  beat  anything  but 

beat  the  consolidated  Jews.  Caught  in  the  room  with  his  daughter. 
In  fact,  in  bed !  Caught,  and  by  her  father,  in  the  berth  with 
her.  That  is  what  he  thinks.  That's  what  everybody  will  think 
and  say.  All  the  circumstances  support  the  assertion,  prove  it.  It 
will  be  absolute  folly  for  me  to  deny  it.  No  sane  or  insane  person 
will  believe  it  possible  for  me,  or  any  other  man,  as  for  that  mat- 
ter, for  they  all  judge  by  themselves — to  sleep  all  night  in  the  same 
cabin-room  on  a  steamer  with  such  a  magnificently  formed  and 
beautiful-faced  woman  and  not  occupy  the  same  berth  with  her. 
Here  I  was  in  the  lower  berth  to  prove  it.  Her  father  saw  me. 
Blam !  bam !  splam !  ham  "  cried  Millyard  in  despair  as  he  flung 
himself  on  the  berth,  adding:  "Amsterdam  and  Rotterdam! 
Yea,  yea,  sayeth  the  Scripture  in  sundry  places. 

"  Confound  the  woman !  Ph-ph-phe-ew !  What  can  I  do  ? 
What  can  I  say  ?  He  has  broken  mine  heart  too.  Splam !  Let 
everything  go  as  it  lays  and  sweep  the  board. 

"  If  there  is  an  officer  waiting  for  me  to  land  he  will  put  me  in 
the  parish  prison  as  sure  as  gun's  iron.  If  he  does  I  am  just  as 
sure  as  already  convicted.  For  any  benefit  to  me  I  might  as  well 
plead  guilty.     But  they  shall  not  force  me  to  marry  Bertha.     I 


What  Happened  to  Millyard.  81 

will  not  marry  her.  If  Lucilla  casts  me  off  on  account  of  this, 
which  I  expect  she  has  already  done,  I  will  drift  and  shift  with  the 
wind  and  let  Nature  take  its  course. 

"  Let's  think  a  moment :  to  convict  me  of  a  crime  with  Bertha, 
her  testimony  to  that  effect  will  be  absolutely  essential.  If  she  will 
testify  and  tell  the  truth  I  cannot  be  convicted.  That  she  will 
allow  me  to  be  wrongfully  convicted,  I  cannot  gain  my  consent  to 
believe.    She  intimated  to  the  contrary. 

"  Well,  I  will  just  wait  for  the  officer  to  come  for  me;  I'll  not 
go  to  him." 

Mr.  Millyard  was  soon  fast  asleep. 
6 


82  *        The  Lady  of  New  Orleans. 


CHAPTER  XIV.    . 

GALEN    DALGAL'S   ENGAGEMENT   DREAM. 

At  the  appointed  time  Mr.  Galen  Dalgal  called  to  see  Miss  Lu- 
cilla  Helms. 

"  So  Mr.  Alpha  Millyard  is  in  prison  in  New  Orleans  on  a 
charge  of  some  kind  involving  moral  turpitude  concerning  a  young 
lady  ?  "  sententiously  remarked  Mr.  Dalgal,  when  they  had  con- 
versed a  while. 

"  How  did  you  hear  that,  Mr.  Dalgal?  "  inquired  Miss  Helms. 

"  You  told  me,"  he  replied.    "  Have  you  forgotten?  " 

"  I  have  not  held  conversation  with  you  recently  to  be  able  to 
have  told  you.    I  have  talked  with  no  one  about  Mr.  Millyard." 

"  That's  funny,"  retorted  Dalgal,  who  was  very  funny  without 
attempting  to  be  or  knowing  that  he  was  funny. 

'  Not  so  funny  as  you  might  suppose,"  rejoined  Miss  Lucilla. 

"  Don't  you  remember  telling  me  yesterday  or  the  day  before 
that  Mr.  Millyard  had  been  arrested  in  New  Orleans  on  the  charge 
of  abducting  a  young  lady,  or  secreting  her  from  her  parents?  " 

"  Mr.  Dalgal,  have  you  been  dreaming?  " 

"  That  is  what  Judge  Selia  and  all  the  people  say  about  me,  but 
I  plead  ignorance  of  any  such  ability." 

'  I  could  not  have  told  you  thus,  for  I  have  not  talked  with  you 
during  the  last  week,  and  I  never  heard  about  Mr.  Millyard's  mis- 
fortunes until  day  before  yesterday." 

"  Ah,  Air.  Millyard  has  met  with  such  a  misfortune?  "  gleefully 
said  Dalgal,  readjusting  himself  in  his  chair.  '  Then  I  have 
been  dreaming  correctly  ?  " 

"  So  far  as  Mr.  Millyard  is  concerned  I  had  ceased  to  regard  him 
as  bearing  any  relation  to  me,"  said  Miss  Helms,  her  matter-of-fact 
manner  indicating  plainly  the  truth  of  what  she  said.  "  Why 
should  he  be  in  New  Orleans  ?  When  young  men  get  away  from 
home  and  old  acquaintances  they  forget  the  past  and  take  up  with 
the  new.    They  think  they  can  do  as  they  please  and  distant  friends 


Galen  Dalgal's  Engagement  Dream.  *  83 

of  old  will  be  none  the  wiser.  But  ^ooner  or  later  dark  secrets 
come  to  light.  I  expect  no  further  communication  from  Mr.  Mill- 
yard,  even  if  he  is  one  of  your  great  chums." 

"  Yes,  Alpha  was  a  particular  friend  of  mine.  I  admire  him 
very  much.  I  think  he  will  be  one  of  the  greatest  men  of  this 
country.  He  has  all  the  elements  and  attributes  to  make  a  great 
man.  The  only  thing  lacking  is  want  of  confidence  and  as- 
surance." 

"  I  would  regard  the  absence  of  those  two  traits  as  being  com- 
mendable and  very  much  in  his  or  any  other  man's  favor." 

"  Yes,  I  agree  with  you.  A  domineering,  overbearing  man  is 
the  most  detestable  of  men.  Sooner  or  later  all  such  meet  with 
their  Waterloo,  or  else  when  dead  are  undreamt  and  forgot. 

"  I  am  very  sorry  to  hear  of  any  misfortune  befalling  Alpha 
Millyard.  But  I  feel  serenely  positive  that  he  is  not  in  the  wrong ; 
he  is  a  different  kind  of  man.  Though  I  confess  I  know  nothing 
about  his  case  only  what  you  have  told  me." 

"  What  you  have  dreamed,  you  mean,"  she  asserted. 

"  Since  I  dream  so  true  to  fact  let  it  go  as  a  dream ;  a  dream  in 
verity.  I  suppose  on  the  same  lines  you  will  say  it  was  one  of  my 
dreams  that  you  told  me  last  night  that  you  would  marry  me?  " 

"  Why,  Mr.  Dalgal !  "  smiling  and  looking  credulous,  she  ex- 
claimed. "  I  never  talked  with  you  last  night.  I  was  at  the  opera- 
house  with  Mr.  Creichton,  and  you  sat  on  the  opposite  side." 

"  Ah!  "  exclaimed  Dalgal.  "  You  saw  me  then?  It  is  refresh- 
ing to  be  so  noticed  and  remembered.  However,  a  condescension 
on  your  part  I  admit.  But  by  it  I  am  emboldened  to  ask  you  the 
question  flatly  and  bluntly :     Will  you  marry  me?  " 

"  Yes,  I  will.  There,  you  have  my  answer  as  bluntly  as  you  ask 
the  question."  She  said  this  rather  emphatically,  but  in  a  business- 
like manner. 

"  That  settles  it,"  he  replied.    "  When?  " 

"  Any  time  you  say." 

"  By  the  Hercules !  "  he  squeaked  in  his  piping  voice.  "  That 
were  in  me  which  were  I  the  Pope  of  Rome  I'd  jump  on  America 
and  rule  the  world ! 

"  That  is  just  exactly  what  I  asked  you  before  and  the  very 
same  answer  that  you  made.  You  agree  to  be  married  next 
week?" 

"  Goodness,  Mr.  Dalgal ;  you  are  in  a  hurry !  " 

"  Of  course  I  am,"  quickly  he  responded.     "  When  I  make  up 


84  The  Lady  of  New  Orleans. 

my  mind  that  settles  it.  Suppose  we  get  married  this  week — say 
Saturday !  " 

"  Mr.  Dalgal !  Who  ever  heard  of  a  couple  being  married  on 
Saturday?" 

"  Hundreds  of  them,  yes,  hundreds,  whenever  they  get  ready. 
But  let  it  go  over  until  Monday.     You  said  any  time." 

"  O,  not  Monday.     I  can't  get  ready." 

"  Say  Thursday  then,"  he  pleaded.  "  Thursday  is  a  good  day. 
Good  Thursday."  She  laughed.  He  added :  "  Good  Friday  would 
do,  but  it  is  not  Good  Friday.  Besides,  Friday  is  unlucky.  Thurs- 
day is  the  best  day ;  make  it  Thursday." 

"  If  you  insist,"  demurely  replied  the  fair  creature. 

"  I  do  insist.  That  settles  that,  too.  We  will  get  married  next 
Thursday. 

"  By  the  way,"  added  Mr.  Dalgal ;  "  I  dreamed,  or  some  one 
told  me,  that  the  mountain  lands  over  in  Alexander  county  I  got 
from  Judge  Selia  for  my  horse  and  circus  buggy,  as  he  called  it, 
and  some  money  besides,  with  the  understanding  that  I  was  also  to 
marry  you,  has  on  it  and  in  it  millions  of  gold  and  untold  millions 
of  dollars'  worth  of  green  diamonds,  which  are  far  more  valuable 
than  the  old  style  common  white  diamonds.  If  this  pans  out  true, 
as  we  gold  miners  say,  you  will  be  the  richest  woman  in  the  State. 
I  have  sent  George  Peavy  and  Mooney  over  to  examine  it  for  me." 

This  gentleman,  Galen  Dalgal,  Lsquire,  was  noted  for  his  pe- 
culiarities and  eccentricities.  He  was  a  contradiction  of  the  as- 
sertion that  the  body  and  locomotion  act  in  concert  with  the 
working  of  the  brain.  That  is,  if  a  man  thinks  fast  he  walks  fast 
and  is  quick  in  consonance  in  his  other  movements.  Mr.  Dalgal 
was  as  slow  of  movement  and  easy-going  as  a  yoke  of  oxen  haul- 
ing a  big  log  to  mill.  But  his  thoughts,  his  mind,  acted  as  quickly 
as  a  new  electric  machine  threshing  old  wheat.  His  reputation 
as  a  judge  of  law  placed  him  second  to  no  man  ;  but,  as  a  pleader 
or  speaker,  he  made  a  slip  at  every  turn.  He  was,  therefore,  an 
office  lawyer.  Several  times  he  refused  to  be  a  judge  and  as- 
signed as  the  reason,  which  was  true,  that  he  made  two  or  three 
times  the  salary  of  a  judge  as  a  practitioner  at  the  bar. 

In  addition  to  his  dreaming  faculty,  on  account  of  which  he  was 
called  a  dreamomaniac,  Mr.  Dalgal  was  known  to  be  superstitious. 
Notwithstanding,  he  was  also  known  by  the  ladies  to  be  what  they 
designated  a  good  catch,  although  he  had  passed  the  forty-mile 
post  on  the  race-track  of  life.     He  was  well  to  do  and  owned  a 


Galen  Dalgal's  Engagement  Dream.  85 

beautiful  and  elegant  residence  situated  in  a  grove  of  magnificent 
oak  trees  very  near  the  center  of  the  city,  albeit  it  was  rented.  It 
was  not  a  matter  of  exerting  the  nerves  to  overlook  or  even  not 
notice  his  eccentricities  for,  in  spite  of  them,  he  was  a  prime  favor- 
ite, especially  with  the  ladies. 

Miss  Lucilla  Helms  knew  that  she  had  to  accept  Mr.  Dalgal's 
offer  of  marriage  at  once  and  when  he  said  or  not  at  all. 


86  The  Lady  of  New  Orleans. 


CHAPTER  XV. 

VILLEGUINI   BRIBING  DELARUE. 

It  was  seven  and  a  half  o'clock  when  Alpha  Millyarcl  was 
awakened  and  informed  that  he  must  go  ashore.  He  readily  and 
quickly  complied.     The  cargo  was  already  being  discharged. 

Mr.  Millyard  walked  out  on  the  wharf  stealthily,  glancing  in 
every  direction,  expecting  every  moment  to  be  seized  by  an  officer 
of  the  law.  Crossing  the  levee  and  being  out  on  the  street  unmo- 
lested, breathing  freer  and  his  heart  beating  easier,  he  rushed  up 
the  first  cross  street  and  was  gone. 

Mike  Delarue  was  wanderr  g  up  and  down  the  wharf  where 
foreign  steamers  mostly  land  long  before  daylight.  He  did  not 
know  at  what  time  or  on  what  vessel  Millyard  would  return.  His 
anxiety  was  intense.  He  feared  a  detective  would  be  on  hand  and 
arrest  Millyard  as  soon  as  he  landed  and  he  would  not  be  present 
or  able  to  assist  him. 

Thus  Delarue  was  engaged  when  he  chanced  to  see  the  Polak, 
Rosenstin,  perambulating  the  wharf. 

Delarue  decided  to  keep  his  eye  on  Rosenstin.  Thus  it  came 
about  that  he  saw  Bertha's  father  rush  across  the  gangway  imme- 
diately after  it  was  planted  on  the  wharf.  Some  twentv  minutes 
later  he  saw  the  old  man  disembark  with  Bertha  in  his  charge 
by  his  side.  They  two  went  their  way  while  Delarue  waited  and 
waited  and  watched  for  Alpha  Millyard.  No  Millyard  came. 
Patiently  waiting  until  after  seven  o'clock,  thinking  every  minute 
Millyard  would  surelv  come  the  next,  Delarue  at  length  decided 
that  instead  of  being  on  the  same  steamer  with  Bertha,  Millyard 
had  been  returned  on  another,  and  thus  he  had  missed  him.  Re- 
luctantly Delarue  departed  and  slowly  wended  his  way  up-town. 

Feeding  on  sadness..  Delarue  sauntered  into  Rosenstin's  jewelry 
store  about  nine  o'clock.  When  opportunity  presented  itself,  after 
the  jeweler  had  finished  waiting  on  a  lady  customer,  Delarue  casu- 
ally asked ; 


Villeguini  Bribing  Delarue.  87 

"  Did  your  daughter  return?  "  He  knew  she  did,  but  that  ques- 
tion answered  would  enable  him  to  ask  about  Millyard. 

"  Yah,  mine  Ghott,"  shouted  Rosenstin,  excitedly.  "  Ant  dot 
villun  vos  in  der  bert'  mit  mine  Bertah  all  night.  I  goes  in  der 
room  unt  fine's  'im  mineself  lyin'  mit  der  bert'  ant  mine  Bertah  in 
dare  mit  'im.    Vot  you  tinks  ov  dot  ?  eh  ?  " 

The  old  man  looked  wild,  stepped  quickly  up  and  down  and ' 
puffed  like  a  turtle  walking  through  hot  embers. 

"  I  haf  him  'rested,"  he  went  on.  "  I  prosecutes  'im  mit  der 
law,  ter  der  full  exdent  uf  der  law,  ant  don'  you  forgot  it,  unt  sont 
ter  Baton  Roosh,  ef  'e  don't  marry  mine  Bertah.  You  dos 
hear  dot?" 

"Actually  in  the  berth  with  Bertha?"  inquired  Delarue  ear- 
nestly. 

"Mine  Ghott!  I  saw  dem  mit  mine  own  eyes!  "  exclaimed  the 
frenzied  Rosenstin.  "  Dey  vos  in  der  lower  bert'.  He  vos  ersleep 
mit  der  lower  bert'  ven  I  vent  in  dare.  Den  'e  roll  himself  over  unt 
talk  mit  me.     I  dos  sometin's  mit  'im  right  ervay." 

Wishing  to  avoid  any  further  scene,  the  old  man  was  talking 
so  loud,  Delarue  walked  out  of  the  store,  leaving  Rosenstin  hurl- 
ing maledictions  on  the  "  villun." 

"  Can  it  be  possible  that  the  fellow  has  been  deceiving  me?  " 
thought  Delarue  as  he  walked  up  Poydras  street  into  St.  Charles 
street.  '  That  is  the  very  worst  thing  that  could  have  happened 
to  him.  Let  the  old  chap  catch  him  in  the  cabin-room  in  the  berth 
with  his  daughter,  where  they  had  been  all  night ;  he  will  be  sent 
up  now  sure  as  blazes.  I  must  give  up  the  chase.  It's  no  fun 
to  me. 

"  No,"  he  said  to  himself  after  reflecting  a  few  moments ;  "  that 
would  not  be  honorable  until  I  hear  his  side  of  the  affair.  It  may 
be  a  game  to  force  him  to  marry  the  girl.  He  may  be  willing  to 
marry  her.  She  is  deucedly  beautiful,  about  the  handsomest 
woman  in  New  Orleans.  I  can't  blame  the  cuss  for  being  in  the 
cabin-room  with 'her.  But  he  should  not  allowed  himself  to  be 
caught,  especially  by  that  fractious  codger,  her  father.  There  is 
where  he  made  a  howling  '  bust,'  as  he  expresses  an  error.  And 
that  is  what  puzzles  me.  By  Saint  George !  there  is  something 
wrong.    I  will  go  find  Millyard." 

Upon  Delarue's  going  to  Judge  Cotton's  office  and  making  him 
acquainted  with  what  he  had  learned  concerning  Millyard,  that 
gentleman  sternly  said ; 


88  The  Lady  of  New  Orleans. 

'  If  that  is  the  kind  of  game  the  young  man  is  playing  I  cannot 
have  anything  more  to  do  with  him  or  his  case.  But  probably,  as 
you  suggest,  there  is  a  scheme  between  them  to  force  Mr.  Millyard 
to  marry  the  girl.  You  better  find  Mr.  Millyard  and  let  us  learn 
his  side  of  the  case  before  condemning  him." 

Delarue  next  visited*  Villeguini's  bank. 

'  What  do  I  know  about  the  young  man  ?  "  asked  Mr.  Villeguini, 
diffidently,  in  answer  to  a  question  of  Mr.  Delarue. 

"  I  thought  probably  you  had  heard  whether  he  is  back  in  town," 
retorted  Delarue. 

"  How  should  I  know  ?  Why  should  I  know  ?  Has  he  been 
gone  ?  "  testily  asked  Villeguini. 

"  He  was  kidnapped  and  sent  off  on  the  steamer  Hilda  yester- 
day morning  for  Havre.  Bertha  Rosenstin  was  on  the  same 
steamer,  and,  I  understand,  the  police  ordered  them  intercepted 
at  Pilot  Town  and  they  were  to  arrive  here  this  morning.  Bertha 
came,  but  I  have  not  learned  whether  Millyard  came  or  not." 

"  Well,  well,  Mike,  he  seems  to  be  a  wonderfully  ingenious  ras- 
cal," said  Villeguini,  becoming  more  interested.  Musingly  he 
added :  "  If  he  comes  back  here  he  will  be  put  in  the  Parish 
prison." 

'  How  do  you  know  that,  Mr.  Villeguini  ?  And  for  what  offense 
can  he  be  put  in  the  Parish  prison?  " 

;'  O,  I  don't  know,  and  don't  care,"  he  snapped.  "  I  understand 
you  are  his  friend  and  have  been  helping  him." 

"  No,  indeed,  not  much.  I  am  barely  acquainted  with  him.  I 
was  in  need  and  hungry  and  he  assisted  me." 

'  That's  it,"  ejaculated  Villeguini.  "  Probably  you  are  hungry 
still?  Here  is  five  dollars,"  said  Villeguini,  producing  a  national 
bank  note  from  his  vest  pocket  and  handing  it  to  Delarue.  "  Take 
that  and  get  you  something  more  to  eat.  I  wish  you  would  find 
out  something  for  me  about  that  fellow  Millyard,  Mike,  and  let 
me  know  at  once.  Not  that  I  care  particularly,  but  I  would  like 
to  know  just  through  curiosity  what  he  is  doing  and  going  to 
do.  I  suspect  that  he  is  trying  to  ruin  that  girl.  From  what  you 
say,  if  they  were  on  the  steamer  together  he  has  already  accom- 
plished her  ruin.  If  he  has  I  propose  to  be  in  at  the  funeral  or 
wind  up  in  Baton  Rouge." 

Villeguini  turned  to  his  desk  and  wrote  a  note.  Calling  the 
bank's  messenger  boy  he  said : 

"  Here,  Jimmie,  take  this  to  the  chief  of  police," 


Villeguini  Bribing  Delarue.  89 

Emerging  from  the  bank  into  Camp  street  with  a  crisp  five- 
dollar  bill  so  easily  and  unexpectedly  acquired,  Delarue  dashed  off 
for  Johnnie's. 

Delarue  found  Alpha  Millyard  at  Johnnie's.  While  evening  up 
on  'alf  an'  'alf  it  did  not  take  time  for  Mr.  Millyard  to  epitomize 
his  latest  experiences,  those  since  their  separation.  Delarue  lis- 
tened with  the  patience  of  a  judge,  but  with  much  more  astonished 
interest. 

"  Did  Bertha  seem  to  want  you  to  go  in  the  cabin-room  ?  "  asked 
Mike,  innocently. 

"  Seem !  "  shouted  Millyard.  "  She  commanded  me,  I  said,  and 
like  a  boss,  to  '  come  along.'  Of  course  I  had  to  come  along.  I 
had  no  money  to  hire  another  room  and  they  would  not  permit 
me  to  remain  in  the  saloon.  But,  Mike,  I  pledge  you  my  word, 
what  I  have  told  you  is  the  truth,  the  whole  truth  and  nothing  but 
the  truth.  We  did  not  occupy  at  any  time,  or  any  portion  of  the 
time,  the  same  bed  or  berth.  She  slept  up-stairs  and  I  slept  below. 
The  old  codger  may  rave  and  anathematize  as  much  as  he  pleases, 
but  that  is  the  truth,  and  I  believe  the  girl  will  swear  it  as  well 
as  I." 

"  That  was  too  funny  about  the  old  Polak  saying  Bertha  was  too 
smart  for  that,"  and  Delarue  laughed  a  good,  hearty  guffaw. 

"  Yes,  and  his  offering  to  give  Bertha  a  house  and  lot  and  a 
thousand  dollars  '  ef  ve  voult  got  marrit.'  " 

"  Mr.  Millyard,"  said  Mike,  "  you  are  a  thoroughbred.  You 
are  a  gentleman.    I  believe  every  word  you  have  told  me." 

"  Thanks,  my  noble  Creole  Duke ;  they  are  as  true  as  if  spoken 
by  the  Prophet  Jeremiah." 

The  two  gentlemen  repaired  to  the  office  of  Judge  Cotton. 
W7hen  Mr.  Millyard  had  made  his  revelations  Judge  Cotton  ex- 
pressed great  satisfaction  at  the  turn  affairs  had  taken,  but  ad- 
monished Millyard  that  he  was  not  at  the  end  of  his  persecution, 
and  warned  him  to  be  very  careful  in  his  conduct.  He  concluded 
by  suggesting  to  Delarue  that  he  keep  close  watch  on  Villeguini's 
actions  and  he  would  find  him,  for  selfish  purposes,,  the  moneyed 
man  and  the  brains  behind  the  persecution  of  Mr.  Millyard. 

"  Villeguini's  giving  me  the  five  dollars  was  equivalent  to  em- 
ploying me  as  a  detective  to  furnish  him  with  information  about 
Mr.  Millyard,"  said  Delarue,  as  they  were  about  leaving  Judge 
Cotton's  office.  "  Detective  work  is  worth  more  money  than  that, 
much  more ;  and  now  since  he  has  commenced  paying  me  I  have 


90  The  Lady  of  New  Orleans. 

it  in  my  mind  to  make  him  pay  me  quite  largely.  Besides,  it  af- 
fords me  the  opportunity  of  ascertaining  his  plans  about  Mr. 
Millyard." 

Leaving  Judge  Cotton's  office,  Millyard  started  to  his  boarding- 
house,  while  Delarue  walked  from  Canal  into  Camp  street. 

When  Delarue  was  nearing'Villeguini's  bank  he  glanced  ahead 
just  in  time  to  see  the  kidnapping  Dago,  the  longshoreman,  enter 
the  door  of  the  bank.  Mike  followed.  The  Dago  went  in  the  back 
room  where  Villeguini  was  seated  at  his  desk.  Mike  advanced 
near  to  thve  door  between  the  private  office  and  the  ban»king-room 
and  halted  where  he  could  overhear  any  conversation  between  Mr. 
Villeguini  and  the  Dago.  None  of  the  bank  officials  paid  any  at- 
tention to  Delarue,  as  they  knew  him,  and  had  seen  him  with  Mr. 
Villeguini  that  morning. 

"  I  seed  'im  come  off  ther  steamer  'bout  ha'  arter  seven.  'E 
looker  round  ter  see  as  how  ef  any  one  wuz  er  watchin'.  Ther 
gal's  dad  wuz  there  fur  'er  'fore  ther  steamer  landid." 

'  That's  all  I  want  to  know,"  said  Delarue  to  himself,  as  he 
turned  and  started  out.  "  That  proves  the  conspiracy,  and  Ville- 
guini at  the  head  of  it.  I  don't  want  that  Dago  to  see  me  here.  He 
would  give  me  away." 

"  Don't  go  off.  I  want  to  see  you  directly,"  said  Villeguini  to 
Delarue,  who  had  chanced  to  step  out  where  Villeguini  saw 
him. 

"  I'll  be  back  in  a  few  minutes,"  replied.  Mike,  without  turning 
back  or  halting.  He  went  out  on  the  street  and  watched  until  the 
Dago  left. 

"  Did  you  have  a  lunch,  Mike  ?  "  asked  Villeguini  as  Delarue 
entered  his  office. 

"  A  full  meal,  thanks  to  you,  Mr.  Villeguini,"  replied  Mike, 
seating  himself  in  a  leather-cushioned  chair.  "  I  am  beginning  to 
feel  right  respectable  again,  when  I  can  have  such  good  friends  as 
you." 

"  That's  right,  Mike.  There's  nothing  like  being  a  man.  It 
makes  one  feel  good*  and  other  people,  too.  I  am  glad  to  be  of 
service  to  you.  I  hope  you  will  be  abl'e  to  secure  employment. 
Until  you  do  come  round  and  see"  me  occasionally.  Meantime  I 
trust  you  will  be  of  service  to  me  in  the  matter  about  that  fellow 
Millyard.     Have  you  found  out  anything  about  him  ?  " 

'  Yes,  that  is  what  I  come  to  tell  you.  He  is  here  in  town.  I 
saw  him  not  more  than  an  hour  ago." 


Villeguini  Bribing  Delarue.  91 

"  Where  was  he  going  ?  " 

"  Uptown  ;  in  that  direction." 

"  Mike,  that  fellow  better  get  out  of  town  and  stay  out.  If  not 
he  will  be  sent  to  the  Parish  prison  sure,  and  probably  to  the  pen- 
itentiary at  Baton  Rouge.  Can't  you  confidentially  advise  him  to 
leave  for  good — for  his  good?  " 

Delarue  now  saw  his  opportunity.    He  said : 

"  Old  man  Rosenstin  told  me  awhile  ago  he  found  him  in  Ber- 
tha's cabin-room  on  the  steamer  this  morning,  and  that  he  had 
been  there  all  night." 

"  Great  heavens  !  You  don't  say  ?  "  exclaimed  Villeguini  in  a  tu- 
mult of  passion.  "  The  miserable,  villainous  scoundrel !  Rosen- 
stin will  have  to  take  out  a  criminal  warrant  for  seduction.  That 
will  send  him  to  the  penitentiary !  "  exclaimed  Villeguini  in  high 
glee.  Then  pulling  at  his  stubble  mustache,  he  added:  ;'  I'll  go 
see  Rosenstin." 

"  Why  don't  you  take  out  a  warrant?  "  suggested  Mike,  "  and 
not  wait  for  the  old  man  to  do  so." 

"  That  would  never  do,"  replied  Villeguini.  "  I  am  not  suf- 
ficiently interested,  you  see ;  only  as  a  friend  of  Rosenstin  because 
he  is  a  customer  of  this  bank.  And  I  know  Miss  Bertha  very 
well.  She  is  a  very  handsome  young  woman,  and  it  is  a  great  out- 
rage that  villain  should  ruin  her.     He  must  be  sent  up." 

"  Where  is  he  from?  "  asked  Delarue. 

"  Blest  if  I  know,"  answered  Villeguini,  sharply.  "  I  did  hear 
he  is  from  Kentucky,  Louisville.  I  wish  you  would  find  out 
something  about  him.  I  understand  Miss  Bertha  is  so  desperately 
in  love  with  him,  so  completely  infatuated,  that  she  would  forego 
heaven  to  be  with  him.  He  has  succeeded  in  making  a  perfect 
dupe  of  her." 

"  I  wonder,"  exclaimed  Delarue,  mechanically.  "  Well,  he  is  a 
handsome  man.  Besides,  he  is  cultivated,  has  elegant  manners  and 
is  a  brilliant  lawyer." 

"  Yes,  there  is  where  comes  his  cunning.  I  heard  a  good  lawyer 
say  he  is  about  tbte  smartest  lawyer  at  the  New  Orleans  bar. 
That  is  how  he  has  duped  Bertha  and  made  a  plaything  of  her." 

"  I  don't  see  how  a  criminal  warrant  against  him  will  hold 
good,"  said  Mike.  "  As  I  understand  matters  he  was  kidnapped 
and  placed  on  board  the  Hilda  where  Bertha  Rosenstin  had  been 
placed  by  her  father.  Millyard  would  turn  the  tables  and  claim 
that  it  was  a  scheme  to  force  him  to  marry  the  girl.    But,"  con- 


92  The  Lady  of  New  Orleans. 

tinued  Delarue,  looking  Villeguini  calmly  in  the  eyes,  "  suppose 
he  marries  her?  " 

"  That  would  never  do,"  shouted  Villeguini.  Then  controlling 
himself,  he  went  on  more  calmly :  '  Who  knows  what  he  is  or 
anything  about  him  ?  He  might  carry  the  girl  away  off  and  then 
desert  her.     I  should  advise  the  old  man  against  that." 

'  You  say  the  girl  loves  him  and  wants  to  marry  him?  If  he 
should  love  her  why  shouldn't  they  marry  ?  " 

"  Because  they  would  be  incompatible,"  retorted  Villeguini. 
"  She  a  Polish  Jewess  and  he  an  American  Anglo-Saxon." 

"  An  American  Anglo-Saxon  would  be  more  compatible  than 
any  other  kind  of  Saxon,  "asserted  Delarue.  "  Her  father  said  to 
me  he  was  going  to  make  him  marry  her." 

"  He  must  not;  that  must  not  be!  "  vehemently  protested  Ville- 
guini. "  He  must  be  sent  to  prison.  I  have  an  idea  that  he  is 
already  arrested  and  is  in  the  central  station;  if  not,  then  the  parish 
prison." 

Delarue  then  recalled  to  mind  the  note  Villeguini  had  sent  by 
the  boy  to  the  chief  of  police.  It  meant  that  Villeguini  had 
directed  the  arrest  of  Mr.  Millyard.    So  he  said : 

"  If  he  is  arrested  Judge  Cotton  will  get  him  released." 

"  If  Judge  Cotton  gets  him  released  he  will  be  arrested  again 
on  some  other  charge,"  quickly  asserted  Villeguini,  showing  his 
animus  by  the  warmth  of  his  speech  and  manner.  "  He  will  con- 
tinue to  be  arrested  as  long  as  he  remains  in  New  Orleans.  Mike, 
this  affair  is  becoming:  interesting:  in  more  ways  than  one.  I 
want  you  to  help  and  keep  me  informed  about  the  fellow ;  you 
used  to  be  a  good  detective.  Here  is  ten  dollars  more  and  when 
it  is  gone  come  and  get  some  more.  I  am  willing  to  pay  you  for 
your  services  in  keeping  me  informed." 

Delarue  took  the  ten  dollars  and  very  soon  departed. 


Ralph  the  Reporter  Got  the  Facts.  93 


CHAPTER  XVI. 

RALPH  THE  REPORTER  GOT  THE  FACTS. 

From  what  Villeguini  had  said,  the  note  and  the  interest  he 
manifested,  Delarue  felt  positive  that  Millyard  was  already  arrested 
and  in  prison.    Therefore  to  the  prison  he  went. 

He  found  Millyard  in  the  central  police  station.  The  charge 
against  him  was  eloping  with  a  girl  under  age.  His  trial  was 
booked  for  ten  o'clock  next  morning.  Volney,  the  detective,  of- 
ficiated in  the  arrest.  Millyard  was  taken  just  before  he  arrived 
at  his  boarding-house. 

"  Mike,  am  I  to  remain  in  here  until  morning?  "  inquired  Mill- 
yard  through  the  iron  bars  as  Delarue  stood  outside  in  the  hallway 
and  a  policeman  near  by. 

"  Unless  I  can  get  bail  for  you,"  replied  Mike.  "  Whom  must  I 
see  to  go  on  your  bond?  " 

"  I  do  not  know  of  a  person  in  all  New  Orleans  whom  I  would 
feel  justified  in  asking  to  go  my  bail  in  this  case.  The  circum- 
stances are  so  strong  against  me  any  man  will  think  me  guilty  and 
hesitate  about  signing  a  bond  for  my  appearance,  even  to-morrow 
morning." 

A  man  came  up  quickly  and,  addressing  Millyard,  said : 

"  If  you  are  turned  out  of  here  will  you  leave  New  Orleans  at 
once  and  never  return  ?  " 

"  Sir,  are  you  a  suborner  of  crime  for  criminals  ?  "  contemptu- 
ously responded  Millyard  with  a  haughty  air.  '  My  being  in- 
carcerated here  is  a  crime  against  my  person.  I  am  guiltless,  and 
I  shall  not  barter  my  honor,  whether  you  have  interest  or  influence 
in  the  matter  or  not." 

"  Humph,  incorrigible,"  hissed  the  man,  turning  on  his  feet  and 
walking  down  the  corridor,  motioning  his  head  for  Delarue  to 
come  to  him. 

"  I  will  stand  as  the  fellow's  bondsman,"  said  the  man  to 
Delarue,  "  if  he  will  agree  to  leave  the  city  immediately  and 


94  The  Lady  of  New  Orleans. 

never  return.  Speak  to  him  about  it  and  persuade  him  to  do 
it.    If  you  will  get  him  to  leave  I  will  give  you  a  hundred  dollars." 

"  Couldn't  you  make  it  more  than  that?  say  fi\e  hundred;  then 
I  can  divide  with  him." 

"  See  what  you  can  do  and  let  me  know,"  said  the  man,  moving 
on  down  the  hallway  while  Delarue  returned  to  the  cell-room 
door. 

"  Who  was  that  man,  Mike?"  asked  Millyard.  "  Is  he  their 
lawyer  ?  " 

"  Don't  you  know  him?    I  thought  you  did.    That  is  Villeguini." 

"  Yilleguini?  "  repeated  Millyard.  "That  is  the  name  of  the 
man  Bertha  told  me  about." 

"  He  gave  me  ten  dollars  more  at  the  bank  not  half  an  hour  ago, 
and  just  now  offered  me  a  hundred  dollars  if  I  would  induce  you  to 
leave  town  and  never  return,  saying  he  would  sign  your  bond.  I 
asked  him  why  not  make  it  five  hundred  so  I  could  divide  with  you. 
He  told  me  to  see  what  I  can  do  and  let  him  know.  Does  that 
look  like  disinterested  friendship  either  for  the  father  or  the 
daughter?  I  will  go  see  Judge  Cotton  and  get  you  out  of  here 
right  away." 

"  Whether  the  Judge  gets  me  out  of  here  or  not  I  will  not  com- 
promise my  honor  with  that  villain  Villeguini.  I  would  rather 
remain  in  here  a  vear.  Go,  please,  and  see  what  the  Judge  will 
do." 

On  his  way  out  of  the  station  Delarue  stopped  in  the  office  and, 
inquiring,  ascertained  that  the  amount  of  bail  that  would  be  re- 
quired of  Millyard  for  his  appearance  at  the  Recorder's  court 
next  morning  was  one  hundred  dollars. 

Judge  Cotton  gave  Delarue  a  note  to  a  Mr.  Pollock,  a  friend  of 
his.  Mr.  Pollock  went  with  Delarue  to  the  central  police  station 
and  signed  the  bond,  whereupon  Millyard  was  released. 

"  Xow  let  us  go  to  Johnnie's  and  discuss  the  situation,"  said 
Delarue  when  thev  were  on  the  street.  "  Now  that  I  know  Ville- 
guini's  game  I  want  to  lay  my  plans  how  I  shall  pull  him  for  a 
hundred  in  the  morning  and  a  cool  five  hundred  the  next  day. 
He's  got  to  pony  and  dance  now,  fiddle  or  no  fiddle. 

"  By  the  way,  it  was  a  neat  little  piece  of  luck  how  I  got  him  con- 
nected with  your  abduction."  Delarue  then  related  about  his  over- 
hearing the  remarks  of  the  Dago,  and  added : 

"  Judge  Cotton  says  you  must  sue  Villeguini  for  damages  for 
your  abduction," 


Ralph  the  Reporter  Got  the  Facts.  95 

'  I  must  get  clear  of  this  affair  before  doing  that,"  answered 
Millyard,  as  they  entered  Johnnie's.  "  You  say  my  friend  Frank 
has  gone  back  on  me  ?  " 

'  He  talked  that  way.  But  I  guess  he  was  just  slightly  irritated 
for  the  time  being." 

Leaving  Johnnie's,  the  two  men  boarded  a  St.  Charles  avenue 
car  and  went  up  to  Carrollton,  where  they  remained  the  greater 
'  part  of  the  afternoon.  This  was  a  surcease  from  the  tension  and 
anxiety  of  mind  on  the  part  of  Millyard.  He  was  even  loth  to 
venture  to  his  boarding-house  for  fear  of  arrest ;  especially  was  he 
dubious  about  going  since  Delarue  advised  him  of  Mr.  Frank's 
remarks. 

Mr.  Frank,  with  whom  Millyard  was  boarding,  was  also  a 
lawyer,  but  was  not  practising  regularly,  as  he  was  engaged  in 
writing  a  lengthy  poem  in  which  work  Millyard  was  collab- 
orating. 

At  dinner  that  evening  when  Millyard  had  fully  and  freely  re- 
lated his  experiences,  Mr.  Frank  made  free  to  express  his  opinions, 
stating  that  he  was  well  acquainted  with  each  one  of  the  parties. 

His  idea  was  that  Sam  Waxelbaum,  mischievous  and  practical 
joker  as  he  was,  had  instigated  Bertha  Rosenstin  to  declare  to 
Mr.  Millyard  her  love  for  him,  as  he  had  heard  her  express  her 
admiration  of  him,  Mr.  Millyard  being  a  frequent  visitor  at  Sam 
Waxelbaum's  house,  because  Sam  insisted  to  Bertha  that  it  was  the 
way  girls  in  America  do  when  they  have  a  preference  for  a  man. 

This  theory,  to  some  extent  at  least,  cleared  the  mystery  to  Mr. 
Millyard.  It  was  novel,  it  was  true,  but  it  was  natural.  Millyard 
perceived  how  Bertha  had  been  deceived  into  making  such  bold 
advances  to  him,  goaded  as  she  was  by  her  people  at  home. 

Having  promised  to  meet  Delarue  at  Johnnie's  at  eight  o'clock- 
sharp  and  to  "  bunk  "  with  him  that  night  at  the  St.  Charles  Hotel 
to  obviate  being  kidnapped  again,  Millyard  hurried  through  his 
dinner  and  made  a  change  of  clothing. 

Promising  Mr.  Frank  to  return  the  next  afternoon  or  soon  as  he 
possibly  could,  and  assist  in  their  collaboration,  he  bid  the  inter- 
esting family  adieu  and  was  gone. 

When  Millyard  and  Delarue  repaired  to  the  room  assigned 
them  in  the  St.  Charles  Hotel  it  was  after  twelve  o'clock.  Soon  a 
bell-boy  appeared  with  a  card  for  Mr.  Millyard. 

"  I  know  that  fellow,"  said  Mike.  "  He  is  a  newspaper  re- 
porter.   Send  him  word  to  come  up  here." 


96  The  Lady  of  New  Orleans. 

"  Yes,  tell  him  to  come  to  our  room,"  added  Millyard  to  the 
boy.    "  I  am  preparing  to  retire." 

"  So  the  newspaper  reporters  have  got  it,"  mournfully  remarked 
Millyard.    "  The  publication  of  this  affair  will  ruin  me." 

"  Get  your  side  of  the  affair  published  in  the  newspapers  and 
show  up  those  people  who  are  persecuting  you,"  said  Delarue 
with  warmth.  "  That  is  the  very  thing  you  want.  When  your 
side  is  made  known  the  bottom  will  drop  out  of  Villeguini's  game. 
Let  me  do  the  talking.     I  know  what  to  tell  and  how  to  tell  him." 

"  Hello,  Ralph  !  Glad  to  see  you  !  "  exclaimed  Delarue,  shaking 
the  hand  of  the  reporter  enthusiastically.  '  This  is  Mr.  Millyard, 
Mr.  Carson.  Have  a  seat,  Ralph.  Say  boy:  tell  the  bar  to  send 
me  a  quart  of  Mumm's  immediately.  What  brings  you  here  to 
see  us  this  time  o'  night,  Ralph  ?  " 

"  I  come  to  get  the  unvarnished  facts  about  this  affair  of  Mr. 
Millyard,"  replied  Mr.  Ralph  Carson.  "  Our  editor,  who  knows 
of  Mr.  Millyard  and  his  family,  says  the  version  we  have  heard 
about  it  does  not  stand  to  reason,  Mike." 

"  Uh,  hungh,"  half-grunted  Mike. 

"  It  has  created  a  sensation  all  over  the  city  before  we  got  on  to 
it,"  said  Ralph  the  reporter,  "  and  our  editor  instructed  me  to  get 
the  facts  from  Mr.  Millyard.  I  traced  you  to  Johnnie's  and  they 
told  me  you  had  come  here." 

"  I  can  tell  you  the  whole  thing,"  said  Mike.  "  I  know  it  from 
Dan  to  Beersheba,  New  Orleans  to  Algiers,  from  Alpha  to  Omega, 
or  Bertha." 

"  All  right,"  ejaculated  Ralph,  smiling.  "  Give  me  all  about 
Alpha  to  Bertha." 

The  bottle  of  wine  came  and  while  they  were  refreshing  them- 
selves with  the  wine  Delarue  went  on  and  told  all  the  circumstances 
in  consecutive  detail  up  to  that  present  time,  while  Ralph  Carson 
wrote  it  stenographically.  Delarue  was  particular  in  specially  re- 
lating the  serious  difficulties  Millyard  labored  under  in  procuring 
bail  under  such  charges  with  the  circumstances  all  so  very  unfavor- 
able to  him. 

When  Delarue  had  finished  Carson  exclaimed : 

"  By  thunder!  that's  a  corker!  I'm  glad  it  wasn't  I.  But  if  it 
had  been  I  would  not  be  here  to-night." 

"  Why  ?  "  dryly  inquired  Mike. 

"  Thunderation  !  Bertha  and  I  would  be  in  Texas  !  "  explained 
Ralph,  folding  his  manuscript  and  paper,  as  he  went  out  of  the 
door. 


Key  to  the  Ills  that  Beset.  Q7 


CHAPTER  XVII. 

KEY  TO  THE  ILLS  THAT  BESET. 

"  I  am  glad  one  paper  has  made  something  like  a  decent  truth- 
ful report  of  your  affair  Mr.  Millyard,"  remarked  Judge  Cotton 
when  Millyard  and  Delarue  entered  his  office  preparatory  to  their 
going  to  court. 

"They  got  it  from  Mr.  Delarue,"  explained  Millyard.  "  A 
reporter  came  to  our  room  at  the  St.  Charles  hotel  last  night 
and  asked  for  the  unvarnished  facts.    -Mike  gave  them  to  him." 

"  Alpha  Millyard ;  eloping  with  a  minor  female.  What  do  you 
say  in  this  case,  gentlemen  ?  "  demanded  the  Recorder.  It  was  the 
last  case  to  be  called. 

Judge  Cotton  arose  and  said  : 

"  I  would  suggest,  your  honor,  that  under  this  accusation  it  is 
not  a  case  for  consideration  by  your  honor.  But  we  are  willing  to 
waive  that  in  order  to  save  time  and  expense." 

"  The  court  takes  cognizance  of  the  learned  lawyer's  remarks," 
said  the  astute  Recorder.  "  A  newspaper  this  morning  shows  that 
it  was  a  case  of  abducting  the  accused,  who  is,  by  the  way,  a 
brother  lawyer,  instead  of  his  abducting  or  eloping  with  the  female 
in  the  case.  This  court  has  jurisdiction  sufficient  to  dismiss  this 
case  ;  but  it  has  to  direct  the  entry  of  an  order  to  hold  Mr.  Millyard 
in  custody  in  default  of  bail  in  one  thousand  dollars  to  appear  at 
District  court  on  a  warrant,  which  is  here,  charging  him  with 
seduction." 

"  Could  your  honor  not  make  the  bail  less  than  that  sum  ?  "  asked 
Judge  Cotton.  "  Mr.  Millyard  is  not  so  extensively  acquainted  in 
the  city ;  besides,  sir,  he  is  a  brother  lawyer,  as  your  honor  has 
correctly  stated."  Before  Judge  Cotton  had  concluded  his  appeal 
he  was  touched  on  the  elbow  by  a  person  from  behind,  who  whis- 
pered to  him. 

"  Will  the  court  please  excuse  me  just  a  minute?  "  said  Judge 
Cotton. 

7 


98  The  Lady  of  New  Orleans. 

"  He  then  turned  and  walked  down  the  aisle  to  the  back  part  of 
the  court-room.  A  lady,  handsomely  gowned  and  thickly  veiled, 
seated  near  the  rear  row  of  benches,  beckoned  him  to  her. 

The  lady  and  the  distinguished-looking  Judge  held  a  brief  con- 
sultation. 

"  Under  the  circumstances,  upon  reflection  the  court  will  reduce 
the  bond  to  five  hundred  dollars,"  said  the  Recorder,  as  Judge 
Cotton  walked  back  to  the  railing. 

"  There  is  a  lady  in  the  court-room,  may  it  please  your  honor," 
remarked  Judge  Cotton,  "  who  states  that  she  owns  property  in 
the  city,  some  on  Canal  street,  who  volunteers  to  go  upon  the 
bond  for  Mr.  Millyard." 

"  Arrange  that  with  the  clerk  and  sheriff,"  said  the  Recorder. 
"  Captain,  adjourn  court  until  to-morrow  morning  at  nine  o'clock." 

The  few  people  remaining  in  the  court-room  began  dispersing. 
The  vision  of  loveliness  retained  her  seat  until  the  gallant  old 
lawyer  went  back  and  escorted  her  forward  to  the  clerk's  desk. 
The  bond  was  immediately  prepared  and  Alpha  Millyard  signed  it. 

"  I  know  of  Miss  de  Ampbert,"  said  the  deputy  sheriff  in 
charge.    "  She  is  perfectly  good." 

"  Of  course  she  is,"  asserted  the  clerk. 

In  beautiful  chirography  with  her  dainty  hand  incased  in  a  close- 
fitting  kid  glove,  she  signed,  "  Rittea  de  Ampbert." 

Then  facing  Mr.  Millyard  and  drawing  a  card  from  a  gold  card- 
case,  slightly  bowing  and  smiling,  she  handed  it  to  him. 

Taking  the  proffered  card  and  bowing  gracefully,  the  gallant 
Millyard  said : 

"  I  know  not  why  I  am  thus  so  overwhelmed  in  a  debt  of  grati- 
tude, but  allow  me,  fair  friend,  to  assure  you  I  shall  seek  to  know 
the  cause  at  this  address  this  blessed  afternoon.  Meantime  you 
have  all  my  thanks." 

As  the  beautiful  creature  gently  glided  along  the  aisle  the  whole- 
some, cheerful  noise  made  by  her  rustling  silks  and  crinoline  re- 
verberated through  the  dirty,  dingy  old  court-room  as  something 
out  of  place,  while  every  man  craned  his  neck  and  strained  his 
eyes  as  they  gazed  after  the  departing  beauty  in  wonder  and 
amazement. 

Mike  Delarue  was  the  first  to  break  the  silence  and  the  spell. 
He  said : 

"  I'll  tell  you  what,  old  boy,  you  have  struck  a  friend  now. 
She  is  the  richest  woman  in  all  Louisiana.     She  owns  a  whole 


Key  to  the  Ills  that  Beset.  99 

block  of  business  buildings  on  Canal  street,  some  houses  on  Royal, 
Conti,  Magazine,  Tchoupitoulas,  Camp,  Chartres,  Rampart,  Es- 
planade, Dryades  and  I  don't  know  where  all,  besides  the  fine 
mansion  where  she  lives  on  Canal.  Another  thing,  which  is  a  very 
important  point,  she  owns  a  majority  of  the  stock  in  Villeguini's 
bank." 

"  There,  by  Jove !  "  exclaimed  Millyard.    "  That  is  Villeguini's 
funeral  knell." 


ioo  The  Lady  of  New  Orleans. 


CHAPTER  XVIII. 

SAM    WAXELBAUM   THROTTLED. 

"  Romance,  I  love  romance  for  its  own  sake,"  said  Judge  Cotton 
to  Mr.  Millyard  when  he  and  Delarue  called  at  the  Judge's  office 
while  on  their  way  to  Victor's,  on  Canal  street,  a  higher  priced  and 
more  stylish  cafe  than  Johnnie's.  "  Romance  is  the  higher  essence 
of  life.  Romance  is  indissolubly  linked  with  love,  and  without 
love  life  is  not  worth  the  living.  You  young  people  have  to  learn. 
The  sooner  the  better  and  the  more  romance  the  sweeter  the  en- 
chantment. Take  life  for  a  romance  and  romance  for  a  reality. 
I  feel  sure,  sir,  that  incident  in  court  is  thrilling  your  soul  with 
new  and  more  animated  life.  A  thousand  beautiful  new  sheens 
are  freshly  pictured  in  your  mind.  A  young,  beautiful  and 
wealthy  woman  whom  you  did  not  know  coming  into  that  dingy, 
filthy  court-room  among  such  people  and  waiting  just  to  go  on 
your  bond  for  your  appearance  at  the  District  court  in  order  to 
prevent  your  being  sent  to  the  parish  prison  for  safekeeping,  is 
remarkable.  I  tell  you,  sir,  it  is  remarkable.  It  is  romance  of  the 
highest  order.  There  is  something  behind  it,  sir.  There  is  some- 
thing behind  it,  sure.  She  has  an  incentive  and  a  reason.  There 
is  a  guiding  angel  in  it,  if  it  is  herself." 

"  Well,  Judge,"  said  Millyard,  as  he  and  Delarue  were  about  de- 
parting, not  having  seated  themselves,  "  when  the  germ  engen- 
dered by  the  romance  sprouts  forth  into  a  flower  of  reality  I  hope 
my  wits  will  be  keen  enough  to  discern  the  right  and  I  not  be  led 
to  the  wrong.  God  of  Heaven  forfend  me  from  that.  My  inclina- 
tion lies  in  the  straight  and  narrow  path." 

"  No  one  doubts  it,  Mr.  Millyard,  who  knows  you.  I  do  not,  and 
never  will  again,  after  your  futile  temptation." 

Mr.  Millyard  bowed  his  acknowledgments.  He  and  Delarue 
then  repaired  to  Victor's  for  lunch.  After  which  Delarue  visited 
Villeguini. 

"  What's  the  news  now,  Mike  ?  "  asked  Villeguini. 


Sam  Waxelbaum  Throttled.  101 

"  The  Recorder  dismissed  the  case,  as  I  told  you  he  would," 
Mike  replied.  "  But  he  bound  him  over  to  the  District  court  in 
five  hundred  dollars  on  a  warrant  charging-  him  with  seduction." 

"  Was  he  sent  to  prison  ?  " 

"  No,  some  one  went  on  his  bond,"  Delarue  replied. 

"  After  you  suggested  to  me  that  he  could  not  be  convicted  on 
the  charge  of  eloping,"  said  Villeguirii,  "  I  inquired  about  it  and 
found  it  correct.  So  I  directed  my  attorney  to  have  a  warrant 
sworn  out  against  him  for  seduction.  He's  got  to  go  to  prison  or 
else  leave  town,"  shouted  Villeguini,  vehemently.  "  That  girl's 
gone  again,  and  he's  got  her  in  hiding.  Mike,  can't  you  possibly 
get  him  out  of  New  Orleans  ?  "  he  said  pleadingly. 

"  I  can  try,"  answered  Mike,  indifferently.  "  I  am  making 
good  headway  in  getting  on  very  friendly  terms  with  him.  By 
my  taking  a  room  at  the  St.  Charles  hotel  last  night  I  got  him  to 
stay  all  night  with  me.  I  also  paid  for  a  bottle  of  wine ;  he  is 
very  fond  of  champagne.  I  expended  all  that  ten  dollars  trying 
to  get  him  in  a  humor  to  talk.  He  is  one  of  those  reticent  men 
and  has  to  be  tuned  to  the  proper  pitch  at  the  right  juncture  be- 
fore he  will  make  a  note  or  strike  a  chord." 

"  Get  him  to  stay  with  you  again  to-night.  Do  you  need  some 
more  money  ?  " 

"  Of  course,  if  I  hare  to  keep  up  with  him." 

Villeguini  handed  Delarue  a  ten-dollar  bill  taken  from  his  vest 
pocket. 

"  Ten  will  not  cut  much  figure  in  allowing  me  to  stand  any 
hand  in  keeping  up  with  Millyard.  Hadn't  you  better  make  it  a 
hundred  ?  " 

"  O,  yes,  I  guess  so.    If  you  can  do  any  good  with  it." 

"  Of  course,  that  is  what  I  want  it  for,"  retorted  Mike.  "  I 
can't  do  any  good  without  it." 

Villeguini  went  to  the  teller  of  the  bank  and  got  ninety  dollars, 
which  he  handed  to  Delarue  in  addition  to  the  ten. 

"  Now,  Mike,  I  want  you  to  do  some  of  the  cleverest  detective 
work  you  ever  did  in  your  life.  Get  that  fellow  out  of  New  Or- 
leans or  get  him  sent  to  prison.  I  am.  inclined  to  think  the  only 
way  we  can  do  is  to  get  him  to  leave  New  Orleans,  and  for  that  I 
am  willing  to  pay.  Because  you  see,  this  seduction  charge  will 
not  hold  good  when  it  comes  to  trial.  Bertha  cannot  be  depended 
on  to  swear  against  him  on  any  charge  that  will  send  him  to 
prison.     But  we  can  bring  more  charges  against  him  and  keep 


io2  The  Lady  of  New  Orleans. 

him  giving  bonds  until  his  bondsmen  give  out.  Get  him  to  room 
with  you  at  the  St.  Charles  again  to-night  and  fill  him  full ;  then 
get  him  to  tell  you  where  Bertha  is  and  make  him  agree  how  much 
money  he  will  take  to  leave  New  Orleans." 

"  I  will  do  my  best,"  said  Mike.  "  What  time  shall  I  come 
here  to-morrow  ?  " 

"  Any  time,  Mike;  any  time  you  think  you  have  something  im- 
portant. Better  see  me  in  the  morning  sometime.  I  may  have 
something  to  tell  you.  Besides,  you  see,  I  want  to  know  where 
Bertha  is  staying." 

An  hour  later  Millyard  and  Delarue  were  eating  an  early  dinner 
at  the  celebrated.  Denechaud's,  six  miles  out,  by  the  railroad  in 
a  beautiful  grove  on  the  margin  of  Lake  Ponjtchartrain.  Broiled 
pompano  (four  dollars  a  plate,  at  Denechaud's)  and  soft-shell 
crabs,  each,  pompano  and  crabs,  taken  from  the  lake  while  they 
waited  at  the  table,  were  part  of  trie  menu  they  had  for  their  din- 
ner. Delarue  <was  expending  part  of  Villeguini's  contribution  to 
the  common  cause. 

That  railroad  from  New  Orleans  out  to  Lake  Pontchartrain, 
only  six  miles  in  length,  is  said  to  have  been  the  second  or  third 
railroad  built  in:  the  world,  or  in-  the"  United'  States,  which  is 
equivalent.  This  made  it  interesting  to*  Mr.  Millyard.  He  con- 
soled himself  with*  it  as  an  excuse-  for  leaving  his  office  and  his 
business.  However,  since  his  first  incarceration,  no  opportunity 
had'  been  afforded  him  for  attending  to  his  business  or  affairs  as 
a  lawyer.  It  was  sadly  going  tot  wreck.  Therefore,  Delarue's 
unexpected  acquisitions  from  Villeguirfii  and  his  unstinted  division 
was  a  godsend  to  them  both. 

Millyard  had  money  duo.  for  his  practise,  but  it  was  becoming 
more  questionable  each  succeeding  day  about  his  being  able  to 
collect  it. 

Mr.  Millyard  questioned.  Mr.  Delarue  as  to  how  he  thought  his 
taking  money  from  Yilleguini  under  such  circumstances  would  be 
regarded  by  the  public  were  Villeguini  to  make  the  charge  before 
the  public  that  he  had  bribed  him. 

Delaru^  unhesitatingly  replied  in  defense  of  his  action  that  he 
had  beer*  professionally  a  detective,  which  Villeguini  knew,  and 
that  Villeguini  was  endeavoring  to  take  advantage  of  his  profes- 
sional services  for  base  purposes.  Therefore,  any  method  to  cir- 
cumvent his  dastardly  plans  were  legitimately  warranted  by  the 
facts.    As  proof  he  cited  that  the  good  Judge  Cotton  approved  it. 


Sam  Waxelbaum  Throttled.  103 

After  dinner  Millyard  and  Delarue  strolled  out  on  the  lake 
shore  near  the  bath-houses. 

To  their  great  astonishment,  yet  great  delight,  they  discovered 
Sam  Waxelbaum  bathing  in  the  lake  in  the  company  of  a 
woman. 

"  Ah,  ha!  "  exclaimed  Delarue.  "  It  will  be  a  distressful  day 
to  your  friend  Waxelbaum  when  his  wife  is  made  acquainted  with 
the  fact  of  his  escapade  with  a  woman  out  here.  Perhaps  he  will 
find  it  profitable  to  unburden  you  of  Bertha  Rosenstin." 

"  Mike,  I  could  not  unbend  or  compromise  myself  to  take  ad- 
vantage of  the  fellow  in  any  such  manner." 

As  they  were  passing  along  the  walk  near  the  row  of  bath- 
houses Delarue  took  advantage  of  the  proximity  of  Sam  Waxel- 
baum and  his  fair  companion  and  cried  out,  so  that  he  heard : 

"  Hello,  Sam.    Do  the  crabs  bite  your  feet?  " 

Sam  and  his  fair  comrade  looked  towards  him  and  then  as  sud- 
denly ducked  in  the  water. 

"  I  must  return  to  the  city,  Mike ;  I  am  going  to  call  and  see  my 
fair  bondslady  this  afternoon." 

"  That's  right ;  she  expects  you.  I  know  all  about  her  and  her 
family.  But  you  must  go  with  me  to  the  theater  to-night.  I  prom- 
ised Villeguini  you  should  room  with  me  at  the  St.  Charles. 
Meet  me  at  Johnnie's." 


104  The  Lady  of  New  Orleans. 


CHAPTER  XIX. 


MILLYARD    MEETS    THE    LADY. 


Into  a  large  old-style  mansion  of  unimposing  exterior  Mr. 
Alpha  Millyard  was  ushered  by  a  liveried  white  servant.  A 
suite  of  spacious  and  luxuriantly  furnished  parlors,  the  gas  burn- 
ing luminously,  although  the  sun  had  not  yet  gone  down,  every 
surrounding  and  appointment  indicated  wealth,  culture  and  re- 
finement. Ere  long  Miss  Rittea  de  Ampbert  made  her  appearance 
in  the  drawing-room  and,  graciously  proffering  her  hand  to  Mr. 
Millyard,  said : 

"  I  am  glad  you  have  called.    Please  be  seated." 

"  How  could  I  do  otherwise  than  call  to  see  my  benefactress  ?  I 
am  your  hostage  and  must  report,  otherwise  you  may  not  know 
but  that  I  have  broken  faith  and  left  my  charming  bondslady  to 
pay  my  indemnity." 

"  You  are  a  lawyer,  as  I  understand,"  she  remarked. 

"  I  have  been  admitted  to  the  bar  and  am  practising  some.  But 
your  code  de  Napoleon  gives  me  some  trouble." 

"  I  apprehend  you  will  soon  master  the  intricacies  of  that.  One 
of  the  newspapers  states  that  you  are  from  Kentucky  ?  " 

'  Well,  yes  and  no.  As  the  Conrederate  soldier  in  Virginia 
said,  '  I  am  a  Georgian  by  birth,  a  Kentuckian  by  adoption  and  a 
Louisianian  by  a  misfortune,  or  unfortunately." 

:'  I  trust  not  so  bad.  I  hope  your  misfortune  in  Louisiana  will 
redound  to  your  happiness." 

Observing  a  spark  through  the  vista.  Millyard  replied : 

"  It  would  be  a  solace,  the  panacea  of  all  my  woes  could  I  only 
feel  and  enjoy  happiness  once  again.  Never  since  eighteen  sixty- 
two  have  I  known  what  happiness  is.  It  has  been  one  continual 
longing  with  anxiety  and  dread.  The  vision  of  happiness  has 
been  far  off  and  eluded  my  realization.  I  sometimes  think  I  am 
not  destined  to  ever  enjoy  happiness.    No  sooner  am  I  about  to  be- 


Millyard  Meets  the  Lady.  105 

come  content  and  happy  than  something-  turns  up  to  thwart  all  my 
aspirations." 

"You  could,  though,  become  happy  and  contented?"  Her 
voice  was  soft  and  musical.  Attuned  from  long  practise  in  sing- 
ing, probably. 

"  Indeed  I  could.  But  strange  to  say,  I  have  no  ideal.  That 
would  have  to  present  itself  before  my  eyes  in  reality." 

"  You  are  not  an  agnostic?  "  she  asked. 

'  Not  at  all.  I  am  quite  orthodox  in  my  belief.  It  is  because 
of  this  belief  and  a  holy  feeling  that  I  come  to  see  you.  My  heart 
goes  out  to  you  on  account  of  your  goodness  and  kindness  to  me. 
I  felt  keenly  the  want  of  friends,  those  who  could  and  would  help 
me  in  my  distress.  I  think  God  must  have  had  something  to  do 
with  it  in  prompting  you  to  come  to  my  rescue.  I  thank  both  you 
and  Him.  It  shall  ever  be  my  aim  never  to  forget  you.  To  know 
more  of  you  and  to  see  you  again  and  often  is  my  wish." 

"  That  is  easy  enough.  I  shall  be  pleased  to  have  you  call  and 
see  me  whenever  you  desire.  When  you  are  through  with  this 
trouble  I  hope  to  have  you  dine  with  me  some  afternoon." 

'  Thanks.  That  will  be  a  delightful  pleasure,"  responded 
Millyard. 

"  I  have  a  box  at  the  French  Opera,"  demurely  she  sug- 
gested. 

"  Do  you  attend  often  ?  "  inquired  Millyard. 

"  Not  very ;  only  to  special  attractions.  Then  on  those  occa- 
sions I  have  some  one  of  my  servants  to  accompany  me  in  my 
landau." 

"  You  prefer  not  to  have  a  gentleman  escort  ?  "  asked  Millyard. 

"  No,  not  that  exactly.  But  the  generality  of  men  are  not  con- 
genial company  for  me.  My  father  was  a  Parisian  and  I  was 
reared  in  Paris  not  here.  My  father  was  a  ship-owner.  He 
owned  vessels  plying  between  Havre  and  this  place,  and,  being 
here  much  of  his  time,  he  acquired  considerable  property  here. 
This  he  deeded  to  me  before  he  died.  That  is  why  I  remain 
here.     Though  I  have  property  in  Paris." 

"  Your  parents  are  dead  then  ?  "  he  asked. 

"  My  mother  lives  with  me.  But  she  is  old  and  very  feeble  and 
never  goes  out  of  her  apartments. 

u  By  the  way :  I  heard  of  your  trouble  before  I  read  of  it  in  the 
papers  this  morning,  and  I  had  taken  great  interest  in  it.  You 
acted  nobly.    I  think  you  are  a  gentleman." 


106  The  Lady  of  New  Orleans. 

Mr.  Millyard  quickly  arose  from  his  seat  and,  placing  his  right 
hand  across  his  breast,  bowed  low  and  said : 

"  I  thank  you,  Mademoiselle.  I  hope  ever  to  merit  such  ex- 
pression of  good  opinion.  However,  I  merely  did  as  any  gentle- 
man should  do.  The  girl  says  she  loves  me  and  wants  me  to 
marry  her.  She  said  if  she  did  not  marry  me  she  would  never 
marry  any  man.  But  she  will  get  over  that.  I  told  her  I  could 
never  marry  her.  She  wanted  to  be  my  servant  and  cook  for 
me." 

"  She  was  very  bold,"  flatly  asserted  Miss  de  Ampbert. 

"  Ant  amat,  ant  odit  mulier,"  quoted  Millyard.  "  She  says  her 
father  mistreats  her  and  causes  her  stepmother  to  do  the  same. 
Gently  as  possible  I  informed  her  I  could  not  marry  her  because  I 
am  engaged." 

''  Ah,  indeed ;  to  some  fair  lady  in  Kentucky,  I  suppose?  "  Miss 
de  Ampbert  had  taken  advantage  of  the  slip  he  had  not  intended 
to  make. 

'  You  see,  this  young  lady  is  a  Polish  Jewess  and  would  not  be 
a  congenial  companion  for  me.  I  told  her  I  was  engaged,  yes ; 
and  without  prevarication.  But  I  fear  now  that  my  fiancee  will 
hear  of  my  troubles  and,  believing  me  guilty,  break  our  engage- 
ment." 

"  O,  well,  suppose  she  does,  if  she  cannot  listen  to  reason.  But, 
may  I  inquire,  where  is  this  charming  woman  who  could  gain  your 
affections  ?  " 

Perhaps  it  was  unintentional,  but  there  was  a  slight  inflection  on 
"  your." 

"  She  is  in  North  Carolina.  Though  I  have  not  seen  her  in  over 
a  year  and  a  half,  nor  have  I  heard  from  her  in  two  months.  I 
shall  write  immediately  and  inform  her  of  my  misfortunes." 

"  She  must  be  beautiful?"  inquiringly  said  Miss  de  Ampbert. 
"  But  a  college  boy's  dream,  I  fancy." 

'  I  suppose  so,  rather  in  that  line,"  returned  Millyard,  rather 
hesitatingly.  '  I  would  have  married  her  at  one  time,  but  she 
postponed  it.  Fortunately  for  me  for  I  was  not  prepared  to  marry 
then  ;  nor  am  I  now." 

'  That  is.  unless  circumstances  should  render  it  so  that  you 
could  ?  "  said  Miss  de  Ampbert,  inquiringly. 

"  O,  circumstances,  you  know,  alter  cases,"  replied  Millyard,  as 
he  arose  to  depart,  extending  his  right  hand,  continuing :  "  I  fear 
I  am  staying  longer  than  my  time,    I  called  to  pay  my  homage  and 


Millyard  Meets  the  Lady.  107 

to  beg  that  you  will  please  accept  my  sincere  thanks  and  heartfelt 
gratitude  for  your  unlooked-for  kindness  and  generous,  self-sac- 
rificing act  in  my  behalf." 

"  It  is  a  pleasure  to  have  done  you  the  slight  service  I  have/' 
she  responded,  adding :  "  Upon  reflection,  I  have  decided  that,  if 
agreeable  to  you,  I  shall  be  pleased  to  have  you  dine  with  me 
to-morrow." 

"  Nothing  would  afford  me  greater  pleasure.  I  shall  be  most 
happy  to  do  so.  I  would  decline  were  I  not  innocent  of  the 
charge  against  me.  I  am  yours  to  command  as  long  as  you  are 
my  bondswoman." 

"  I  may,  if  you  adhere  to  that  statement,  urge  to  have  your 
trial  postponed/'  said  she  with  a  merry  twinkle  in  her  large  hazel 
eves  that  were  arched  by  black  lashes,  and  a  flush  of  her  well- 
rounded,  clear  white  face  tinted  with  orange  color  on  her  cheeks. 
Her  smile  was  enchanting.  It  thrilled  the  entire  anatomy  to  rap- 
turous feelings  of  pleasure.  A  woman's  smile  is  ever  a  delight, 
but  some  are  more  beautiful  than  others.  The  beauty  of  a  woman's 
smile  lies  in  the  manner  and  the  method.  It  betokens  much,  yea, 
as  much  or  more  than  the  Greeks  supposed  and  taught.  Take  it 
all  in  all,  say  what  you  will,  a  man  delights  in  a  woman's  smile. 
The  unmoved  features  strikes  him  not ;  not  half  so  pleasantly. 
The  nearer  the  smile  in  kin  to  innocence,  working  in  harmony 
with  a  mind  that  is  poised,  the  greater  the  delight  of  the  sensible 
man.  The  smile  of  Mademoiselle  de  Ampbert  was  enrapturing 
to  Millyard.     He  replied  : 

"  At  what  hour  shall  I  come  ?  Your  smile  entrances  me  to  come 
on  time."  , 

"  I  dine  at  five,  but  you  can  come  about  four.  We  may  go  to 
the  opera."  The  excuse  for  an  hour  to  be  gained  brought  forth 
by  him  was  a  laudable  subterfuge  by  each. 

Going  direct  to  Johnnie's,  Millyard,  who  was  in  ecstasies  of 
joy,  met  Delarue. 

"  That  girl,  Bertha,  swears  by  you,"  said  Delarue  as  they  were 
seated  at  a  table  in  the  rear.  "  She  says  you  are  the  finest  gentle- 
man in  the  world.  The  old  man  is  as  gruff  as  a  'possum ;  just  a 
grinning  and  snarling  at  everything  and  everybody.  One  breath 
lie  says  you  got  to  marry  Bertah  and  the  next  he  swears  you  got 
to  leave  town  or  go  to  the  Parish  prison.  Bertha  told  him,  how- 
ever, that  you  acted  the  perfect  gentleman  with  her.  But  he 
growled  and  shouted,   '  Vhat  fer  den  did  you  let  him  comes  mit 


108  The  Lady  of  New  Orleans. 

you  in  der  room?'  She  told  him  you  didn't  come  in  her  room; 
that  she  was  put  in  your  room  ;  that  it  was  his  fault  that  the 
officer  at  Pilot  Town  thought  you  were  married  and  running  away. 
She  whispered  to  me  that  she  intended  to  run  away  from  home 
at  the  first  opportunity.  Villeguini  thought  she  was  gone  to-day 
and  wanted  me  to  search  for  her.  He  thinks  you  have  her  in 
hiding." 

"  How  did  you  come  out  in  your  visit  ?  " 

"  Ah,  Mike,  magnificent  woman,"  responded  Millyard.  "  She 
is  beautiful  and  the  most  charming  woman  I  ever  met.  A  perfect 
paragon.  A  vision  of  loveliness.  Deliciously  fascinating.  A  way 
that  wins,  an  eye  that  kills,  a  smile  that  thrills.  By  Jove!  I  be- 
lieve I've  struck  my  mate.  If  she  is  not  cut  out  for  me  then  my 
mate  is  not  cut  out. 

"  She  looks  not  more  than  twenty-three." 
'  You  judge  well;  that  is  about  her  age,"  Delarue  answered. 

"  She  invited  me  to  dine  with  her  to-morrow  afternoon  and  I 
accepted.  She  intimated  that  we  may  go  to  the  French  Opera 
She  has  a  box." 

"  She  can  have  anything  she  wants.  There  are  a  thousand 
men  in  New  Orleans  who  would  like  to  be  just  acquainted  with 
her  much  less  to  marry  her.  But  you  are  on  the  inside  now,  if 
you  will  only  maintain  it." 

"  I  shall  be  assiduous,  I  assure  you,"  asserted  Millyard.  "  .Be- 
cause I  do  believe  I  am  already  in  love  with  the  charming  creature 
of  heaven.  Yet  I  am  loath  to  yield  myself  to  fall  in  love  with  her 
for  fear  she  might  refuse  me.  To  be  madly  in  love  with  such  a 
paragon  under  such  adverse  conditions  would  but  end  my  useful- 
ness in  life." 

'  Trust  to  Fate  and  yourself  as  an  honorable  man  on  that  score 
and  pitch  in.  She  is  offering  you  too  much  encouragement  for  her 
to  lightly  refuse  without  good  cause." 

"  O,  Mike,  you  don't  know  the  women,"  retorted  Millyard  some- 
what petulantly.  '  They  will  lead  a  man  to  the  very  brink,  then 
jump  the  precipice  and  leave  him  to  stumble  in  without  a 
light." 

"  Shucks !  Grab  her  by  the  hand  and  jump  together,"  sensibly 
replied  Mike.  "  But  there  is  something  in  this  case  that  I  know 
all  about  which  warrants  me  in  asserting,  with  the  encourage- 
ment you  have  she  will  marry  you  quick.  She  will  if  you  have 
proven  any  way  equal  to  her  ideal,,  they  all  have  that.     You 


Millyard  Meets  the  Lady.  109 

already  have  her  sympathy,  that's  certain ;  and  that's  half  the 
battle,  for  it's  more  than  half  love." 

"  Yes,  I  suppose  every  sensible  woman  has  an  ideal  and  a  man 
must  come  up  to  her  conception.  If  he  wobbles  from  it  before 
he  secures  her  love  he  is  gone  glimmering-,  so  far  as  she  is  con- 
cerned. But  when  he  once  secures  her  love  the  props  and  pins 
may  all  be  knocked  from  under  but  she  will  not  drop.  Opposition 
is  a  grindstone  that  whets  the  appetite  of  love." 

"  We  must  roost  at  the  St.  Charles  again  to-night,"  said  Delarue 
as  they  were  about  separating. 

"  Here  comes  the  blabbering,  wild  young  fellow  I  defended  in 
court  and  prevented  from  being  sent  to  prison.  I  told  you  about 
him.    The  fellow  who  was  in  the  cell  opposite  to  me." 

"  The  top  of  the  day  to  you,  good  lawyer.  It's  glad  I  am  to  see 
you."  Quickly  turning  towards  Delarue  the  humorously-inclined, 
red-headed  Hebrew-Irishman  continued :  "  And  you,  Mr.  Dela- 
rue." Then  looking  at  Millyard  he  added :  "  Did  you  git  him 
out  uv  a  schrape,  too?  " 

"  O,  no.    He's  helping  to  get  me  out  of  mine,"  replied  Millyard. 

"  Yes,  he  got  me  out  of  what  is  worse  than  a  scrape,"  inter- 
posed Delarue.     "  He  got  me  out  of  hunger." 

"  What  kind  uv  a  schrape  are  you  in?  "  asked  the  young  man 
of  Millyard.  "  I'll  be  after  helpin'  you,  too.  I  can  do  er  mighty 
sight  er  helpin',  too,  I  can." 

"  Same  old  muss,"  answered  Millyard.  "  That  is  it  is  a  resultant. 
One  thing  brings  on  another." 

"  Yes,  like  a  mill  turning,"  said  the  Irishman.  "  I  know  Mike 
used  to  be  a  great  detective.  He'll  stick  to  his  man  through  thick 
and  thin.  But  I'll  jest  coadjutate  wid  'im  in  the  quest,  ef  you'll 
just  tell  me  the  circumstances  uv  the  case  so  I'll  know  what  ter  do. 
I'll  go  the  whole  length  uv  me  neck  fur  ye,  so  help  me  Moses." 

"  Mike,  you  give  Mr.  Mr. " 

"  Miles,"  interposed  the  young  man. 

"  Jerushi,"  added  Delarue. 

"  There  you  have  it,"  said  Millyard.  "  Miles  Jerushi.  Mike, 
you  can  tell  Mr.  Jerushi  all  about  the  case.  Probably  he  can 
assist  us." 

Delarue  related  the  circumstances  concerning  Bertha  and  Mr. 
Millyard  as  briefly  as  possible. 

"  Jehosaphat !  in  the  valley  of  fat !  "  exclaimed  Miles.  "  I 
know  the  whole  kit.    I'll  see  Bertie  and  find  out  about  this  Edna  of 


no  The  Lady  of  New  Orleans. 

Adriadne.  I  can  sthop  all  that  kind  of  music.  Just  hold  yer 
horsis  right  still.  The  spalpeen  of  a  Polak!  I'll  be  muzzled  vvid 
a  blubber !    I  kin  wink  me  eye  an'  cork  de  game." 

Muzzled  with  a  blubber  indicated  his  interest  in  the  case.  But 
there  was  no  explanation  as  to  how  or  when  it  was  to  be  done. 
Millyard  may  have  conjectured  that  Jerushi  would  go  wink 
his  eye. 

It  was  agreed  that  Miles  Jerushi  should  see  Bertha  and  her 
father,  but  no  other  person  in  the  case,  and  report  to  Mr. 
Millyard. 


Millyard  as  a  Courteous  Courtier.  in 


CHAPTER  XX. 

MILLYARD   AS   A    COURTEOUS    COURTIER. 

Taking  advantage  of  Miss  de  Ampbert's  suggestion,  Millyard 
returned  at  four  o'clock  for  a  five-o'clock  dinner.  He  was  received 
like  a — well,  say,  prince.  He  was  a  prince  in  the  American  realm. 
Obsequious  servants  galore,  male  and  female,  white,  and  colored, 
for  every  possible  desire,  were  in  attendance. 

"  I  have  decided  Mr.  Millyard,  with  your  consent,  that  we  will 
attend  the  French  Opera.  My  box  will  be  vacant  for  us.  I  have 
ordered  my  coachman  to  have  the  victoria  in  waiting." 

"  Your  hospitality  is  so  charmingly  bestowed,  Miss  de  Ampbert, 
that  I  know  not  how  to  resist.  But  really,  you  see,  it  did  not  occur 
to  me  that  you  actually  desired  that  I,  poor  me,  should,  under  ex- 
isting circumstances,  be  seen  in  such  a  public  place  in  company 
with  you." 

"  I  am  not  at  present  of  the  society  set,"  she  calmly  said.  "  I  am 
society  itself.  I  am  a  free  lance.  I  do  as  I  please,  not  to  please 
only  those  whom  it  is  my  pleasure  to  please.  I  have  counted  on 
your  being  my  guest  and  my  escort."  She  said  this  in  a  manner 
as  if  it  were  business. 

In  New  Orleans  when  a  lady  accepts  a  gentleman's  company  for 
the  opera  it  is  understood  beforehand,  as  a  general  rule,  that  she 
defrays  the  admission,  together  with  a  chaperon,  to  whatever  part 
of  the  house  she  desires. 

"  I  am  your  most  obedient,"  Millyard  assented,  "  and  at  your 
service.  I  will  have  to  request  that  after  dinner  you  please  excuse 
me  until  I  go  up-town  and  secure  my  full  dress  habiliments." 

"  Certainly.  But  I  do  not  object  to  your  company  just  as  you 
are." 

Miss  de  Ampbert  jingled  a  silver  bell  that  was  on  the  table. 
Her  maid  appearing,  Miss  de  Ampbert  commanded : 

"  Tell  the  coachman  to  have  the  victoria  at  the  front  door  imme- 
diately after  dinner."     Turning  to  Mr.  Millyard  she  continued: 


ii2  The  Lady  of  New  Orleans. 

"  My  coachman  will  take  you  to  your  boarding-house  and  you 
can  return  so  much  sooner." 

"  I  am  tempted  to  think  you  desire  to  honor  me  more  than  is 
compatible.  Albeit  my  desire  to  return,  the  sooner  prompts  me 
to  thankfully  accept  your  kind  offer." 

"  Probably  it  is  you  who  depreciate  yourself." 

"  It  is  very  lovely  of  you  in  saying  thus  in  such  sweet  way.  I 
feel  so  keenly  my  humiliation  that  I  am  embarrassed." 

"  You  must  not  be,  not  with  me.    I  know  all." 

"  You  remarked  yesterday  that  you.  had  heard  of  my  troubles 
before  you  read  of  them  in  the  paper?"  said  Millyard,  in- 
quiringly. 

"  Yes.  The  lady  with,  whom  the  girl,  Miss  Bertha — Ber- 
tha  " 

"  Rosenstin,"  suggested  Millyard. 

"  Bertha  Rosenstin  was  staying  down-town  during  the  time  you 
were  first  imprisoned  charged  with  abducting  her,  is  a  sister  of 
my  housemaid.  She  comes  here  often  and  has  informed  me 
of  everything  Miss  Bertha  said  about  you,  which  was  everything 
you  said  and  did,  as  well  as.  herself,  when  you  were  together.  Miss 
Bertha  was  at  her  house  the  morning  that  she  and  you  returned 
from  Pilot  Town  and  told  her  all  about  your  and  her  trip  down 
and  up  the  river,  and  how  nobly  you  acted.  She  does  certain 
dress  work  for  me.  She  was  hereto-day.  She  occupies  one  of  my 
houses.  Hence  you  will  observe  that  I  do  know  something  of 
you.  Knowing  what  I  do,  I  am  not  apprehensive,  but  to  the  con- 
trary am  proud  of  your  society  Society  will  approve  of  it  when 
society  knows  it  as  a  fact  and  it  knows  you  as  you  are.  Therefore, 
I  wish  that  you  accompany  me  to  the  French  Opera  to-night. 
Society  will  change  its  mind  to  suit  the  case  when  society  is  con- 
fronted with  the  facts." 

"  I  am  led  from  what  you  say  to  believe  you  are  truly  informed 
concerning  Miss  Bertha  and  myself.  I  have  been  greatly  de- 
pressed, but  I  am  philosophical;  else  I  could  not  have  borne 
myself  under  the  humiliation  and  the  heavy  mental  strain  that 
has  weighed  upon  me." 

"  I  was  greatly  amused  at  what  Aunt  Jane,  that  is  her  name, 
told  me  what  Miss  Bertha  told  her  about  wanting  you  to  kiss  her 
good  night,  and  when  you  reached  over  to  do  so  you  fell  head- 
foremost from  the  top  berth  and  dislocated  your  thumb." 

"  Has  it  got  well  ?  " 


Millyard  as  a  Courteous  Courtier.  113 

"  It  has  ceased  to  pain  me  only  when  I  use  it.  I  perceive  you  do 
know  about  my  involuntary  escapade.    Can  you  condone  me  ?  " 

"  Is  there  anything  to  condone?  " 

"  My  misfortune." 

"  Have  I  not  already  done  so?  " 

"  I  beg  your  pardon  for  asking  such  a  question.  You  most  cer- 
tainly have.    My  heart  goes  out  to  you  for  it.    I  could, — I  do " 

Mr.  Millyard  stopped  short.  He  gasped  heavily.  There  was  a 
painful  silence.    He  turned  his  head  and  gazed  at  the  piano. 

"You  do  what,  Mr.  Millyard?"  softly  inquired  the  lovely 
woman. 

"  I  do  love  music.  Do  you  sing?  "  absent-mindedly  asked  Mill- 
yard. 

"  Sometimes  I  try  to  sing,"  she  replied. 

"  Would  I  request  too  much  if  I  ask  you  to  sing  something  for 
me?" 

"  For  you,  yes;  with  pleasure.  But  will  you  tell  me  first  what 
that  is  you  do ?  " 

"  You  are  asking  an  additional  consideration." 

"  As  I  remember,  you  said  you  were  mine  to  command." 

"  So  I  did,  so  I  am.  But  it  is  too  soon  yet  to  say  what  I  was 
involuntarily  about  to  declare.  When  I  am  a  free  man  again  and 
not  under  the  ban  I  will  deify  myself  in  concluding  the  sen- 
tence." 

"  You  talk  lovely.  Now  is  as  good  time  as  any,  so  far  as  I  am 
concerned,"  she  said  naively.  "  Because  I  know  that  you  are  al- 
ready exonerated  not  guilty  of  any  of  those  vile  charges  against 
you."  At  this  juncture  they  were  slowly  walking  toward  the 
piano  in  the  next  parlor. 

Glancing  at  his  eyes  slyly,  she  smiled ;  a  beautiful,  lovely  smile ; 
one  that  struck  the  quick. 

'  My  curiosity  is  anxious,"  she  said,  smiling  bewitchingly  still. 

"  Dear,  sweet  woman,  I — I — I  love  you,"  he  finally  blurted. 
"  You  have  taught  me  to  love  vou." 

"  I  am  no  teacher."  He  discovered  by  this  reply  that  she  was 
complacent. 

"  Innocently  to  you  God  has  made  you  one." 

"  But,  what  will  your  affianced  say,  or  think,  of  this  ?  " 

"  She  is  of  the  past  with  me.    You  have  convinced  me  that  I  do 
not  love  her  as  I  should  to  be  her  husband.    It  was,  as  you  have 
said,  a  college  boy's  dream,  a  fancy." 
8 


H4  The  Lady  of  New  Orleans. 

"  Are  you  sure  then  that  you  love  me  ?  Is  it  not  also  a 
fancy?" 

"  Fancy  plays  not  so  harshly  with  the  more  tender  emotions 
of  the  heart.  Fancy  springs  from  idle  thoughts.  It  is,  as  you 
intimated,  a  germ  of  dreamland.  It  has  nothing  upon  which  to 
base  itself.  It  comes  not  from  that  sterner  stuff,  firm  conviction 
evolved  through  a  rigid  process  of  reasoning  controlling  the 
action  of  the  heart  and  working  in  unison  with  it  to  a  common  end. 

''  No,  my  dear  Miss  de  Ampbert,  my  sweet  benefactress,  it  is  not 
fancy.  It  is  fact.  I  could  not  resist.  I  find  myself  enthralled,  en- 
grossed by  you,  my  dear  Miss  de  Ampbert."  Mr.  Millyard  had 
halted,  facing  her. 

"  Call  me  Rittea."  She  lowered  her  eyes  and  fumbled  her  fin- 
gers together. 

Mr.  Millyard  cast  his  left  arm  about  her  neck  and,  taking  her 
right  hand  in  his,  said  : 

"  Darling,  sweet  woman,  will  you  marry  me  ?  "  The  fingers  of 
his  left  hand  were  toying  with  her  left  cheek. 

"  I  guess  I  had  better  wait  until  after  your  trial  before  I  answer 
that  question." 

Releasing  himself,  Millyard  replied,  rather  dejectedly:  "I 
might  have  known  that." 

"  O,  no;  I  did  not  mean  to  make  you  feel  sad,"  she  quickly 
said.     "  I  will  sing  for  you  and  cheer  you." 

She  sang  a  ballad,  while  he  stood  by  her  side.  It  was  the  acme 
in  his  life. 

When  she  had  concluded  the  song  Millyard  deftly  placed  his 
hand  on  the  back  of  her  head  over  a  huge  boulder  of  jet  black 
hair,  his  right  hand  under  her  well-rounded  chin,  and  saluted  her 
with  a  delicious  kiss.    Just  then  the  dinner-bell  rang. 

"  That  bell  summons  us  to "     Millyard  interrupted : 

"  Why  should  dinner  come  so  soon  ?  " 

She  gracefully  strided  forward  with  a  long,  rich  train  trailing 
over  the  soft,  velvet  carpet.  Mr.  Millyard,  gallant  cavalier  that 
he  was,  equal  to  the  emergency,  quickly  proffered  his  arm. 

"  Who  was  that  gentleman  in  the  court-room  yesterday  who 
seemed  to  take  so  much  interest  in  you  and  your  case?  "  inquired 
Miss  de  Ampbert. 

"  His  name  is  Delarue,  Mr.  Mike  Delarue,"  responded  Mill- 
yard.  "  Formerly  a  detective  here,  I  understand,  but  he  was  dis- 
missed for  some  cause.    The  poor  fellow  had  been  out  of  employ- 


Millyard  as  a  Courteous  Courtier.  n5 

ment  so  long  that  he  had  become  almost  a  tramp  when  he  met  me 
on  Canal  street  the  day  trie  man  tried  to  shoot  me.  He  asked  me 
for  money  to  get  himself  something  to  eat.  I  gave  it  to  him,  and 
he  has  since  been  of  invaluable  assistance  to  me  in  all  my  troubles. 
He  it  was  who  saved  me  the  night  I  was  first  kidnapped.  He  was 
watching  on  the  wharf  the  morning  they  put  me  on  the  Hilda.  He 
informed  Judge  Cotton  about  it  and  the  Judge  made  the  Admin- 
istrator of  Police  telegraph  to  have  me  taken  off  the  steamer.  That 
is  how  I  came  to.  be  on  the  steamer  and  to  be  put  off  with  Miss 
Bertha  Rosenstin  at  Pilot  Town.  He  was  also  on  the  levee  watch- 
ing for  me  on  my  return  and  saw  Bertha  land  in  the  company  of 
her  father ;  but  I  overslept  myseh  and  he  went  away  before  I 
landed.     He  is  a  staunch  friend  of  yours." 

"  I  feel  so  happy,"  ejaculated  Miss  de  Ampbert  in  a  soft,  musi- 
cal voice. 

"  Glorious  angel,  I  hope  you  will  feel  so  always,"  quickly  re- 
sponded Millyard,  as  they  entered  the  dining-room,  where  the  table 
was  laden  with  all  the  luxuries  and  delicacies  of  the  season  of  that 
best  of  markets  in  all  the  world.  Everything  from  every  clime 
besides  its  own  rich  abundance  of  all  the  tropical  products. 

There  was  course  after  course  of  deliciously  prepared  edibles, 
her  chef  being  a  Frenchman.  Dinner  being  over,  the  enamoured 
pair  returned  to  the  parlors.  Mr.  Millyard  disengaged  her  arm 
from  his  and,  slipping  his  arm  around  her  waist,  exultantly  said : 

"  Now,  I  know  you  love  me." 

"  O,  Mr  Millyard;  I  never  said  so."  The  peculiar  stress  she 
laid  on  the  word  "  said  "  left  no  room  to  doubt  that  it  was  the 
only  negative  in  the  case. 

"  But  you  look  it,"  quickly  -he  said.  "  Sweetie,  actions  speak 
louder  than  words,  sometimes." 

"  Y-e-s ;  sometimes.  I  must  confess  I  do  like  you  a  little.  But 
I  guess  it  is  merely  sympathy." 

"  Sympathy  is  delicious,  from  you.  Continue  forever  sympa- 
thizing with  me  as  you  do  now." 

"  You  are  a  charming  courtier.  You  remind  me  of  the  French, 
only  your  nice  American  way  of  being  more  sincere.  Frenchmen 
do  not  love,  they  are  merely  charmed ;  and  thus  ever  try  to  make 
themselves  charming." 

"  Man  is  ever  urged  by  a  goad  or  allured  by  a  goal,"  as- 
serted Millyard,  when  they  were  seated  after  having  loitered  about 
the  drawing-rooms. 


n6  The  Lady  of  New  Orleans. 

"  The  allurements  predominate  over  the  goadings,  do  they  not?  " 

"  That  is  a  problem,"  responded  Millyard.  "It  is  different 
with  different  classes  of  men*.  Some  require  goading  to  the  per- 
formance of  any  act,  while  others  would  be  allured  to  the  same 
goal.  That  is  wherein  some  succeed  where  others  fail.  It  would 
be  a  pleasure  to  some,  while  it  would  be  a  drudge  to  others  to  do 
a  needful  thing.  It  comes  an  easy  sequence.  But  I  must  be 
going." 

"  I  should  like  you  to  return  at  once.  It  is  now  after  seven, 
and  we  should  be  at  the  opera-house  by  eight  fifteen." 

"  I  can  return  in  half  an  hour." 

"  That  will  be  delightful."  She  was  not  entirely  reserved  in 
being  tactful. 

Mr.  Millyard  had  the  coachman  drive  by  Johnnie's.  He  found 
Delarue  waiting  for  him  there. 

"Heigho!  In  my  lady's  coach,  by  thunder,"  exclaimed 
Delarue. 

"  No,  victoria,  my  lord,"  returned  Millyard,  as  they  entered 
Johnnie's.  "  Can't  you  tell  the  difference  between  an  ambulance 
and  a  carriage  ?  " 

"You  must  be  getting  on  famously?"  suggested  Delarue. 

"  Famously  ?  That  is  good !  Fame  on  its  eternal  camping 
ground  could  not  be  happier  than  I.  The  most  charmingly  beau- 
tiful, yea,  altogether  beautiful  and  highly  cultured  woman  I  ever 
met !  "  Millyard  was  decidedly  enthusiastic.  ;'  She  is  in  the  class 
and  order  of  the  Hogarthian  line  of  beauty ;  not  of  the  lusciously 
rounded,  voluptuous,  so  much  the  vogue  of  the  sensuous.  She 
must  be  loved  for  her  beauty  on  the  lines  of  beauty  and  for  her 
mentality,  not  for  lusciousness  of  person." 

"  I  saw  those  people " 

"  Hang  those  people !  "  cried  Millyard.  "  Tell  me  about  them 
to-morrow,  Mike.  I  am  in  an  awful  hurry  now.  Besides,  I  am 
living  in  Dreamland.  It  would  be  too  jagged  to  mar  it  with  any- 
thing about  those  people." 

"  All  right,  my  boy.  I  wish  you  the  greatest  joy  and  most  com- 
plete success.  You  must  come  to  the  St.  Charles  hotel  and  roost 
with  me  again  to-night.  I  will  take  a  room,  but  if  you  are  not  too 
late  I  will  be  here,"  said  Delarue  as  they  parted  on  the  banquet. 

Millyard  was  back  at  the  De  Ampbert  mansion  in  half  an  hour. 
After  a  brief  interval  Miss  Rittea  de  Ampbert  came  into  the  par- 
lors.   She  was  gorgeously  gowned.    Upon  entering  she  remarked : 


Millyard  as  a  Courteous  Courtier.  117 

"  You  are  quick  to  your  agreement.  On  time,  '  sharp,'  as  you 
business  men  say." 

"  I  have  ever  tried  to  be  on  time.  But  in  such  case  as  this  I 
could  not  make  myself  be  late." 

"  How  charming !  Do  you  make  vourself  so  agreeable  to  other 
ladies?" 

"  I  cannot  say  that  I  do.  How  could  I  ?  "  replied  the  young 
gallant.  "  One  must  feel  the  inspiration,  the  estro,  as  Byron  calls 
it ;  the  divine  afflatus,  in  order  to  say  and  do  as  I  feel,  speak  and 
act  with  you." 

"  I  never  heard  a  man  talk  so  sweetly.  Where  were  you  edu- 
cated? But  it  is  like  you  Georgians  and  Kentuckians.  I  have 
heard  that  you  are  accomplished  flatterers." 

"  Flattery?  Not  flattery  by  me,  I  hope.  But  I  abjure  you  by 
your  eyes,  your  smile,  above  all  by  our  soul-stirring  smile,  pleasant 
speech  so  nicely  fits.  I  received  my  diploma  at  the  cross  roads, 
since  the  war.  The  uncivil  war  deprived  me  of  my  collegiate  and 
also  university  course." 

"  It  was  not  then  a  college  boy  fancy  which  caused  you  to  be 
engaged  ?  " 

'  The  same  thing,  probably ;  a  schoolboy's  dream.  We  were  at 
school  together.  A  man  must  have  some  one,  something  to 
love." 

"  Those  early  loves,  are  they  not  often  the  most  enduring  and 
steadfast  ?  "  earnestly  inquired  Miss  de  Ampbert. 

"  Early,  loves  may  endure  until  maturer  judgment  dictates  dif- 
ferently, when  the  right  mates,  the  affinities,  have  been  cast  to- 
gether," responded  Millyard.  "  The  theoretic  Carlyle,  the  philo- 
sophic Bacon  and  the  knowing  Shakespeare  all  diagnose  love,  but 
no  one  hits  the  nail  harder  nor  more  tersely  than  Robert  Burton, 
who  says :  '  Love  springs  from  the  emotions  of  the  heart  as  pro- 
duced by  innate  sensibilities.'  Again  he  says  :  '  And  such  acts  and 
scenes  has  this  comedy  of  love  that  is  a  perfect  magazine  of 
monstrosities  and  absurdities.'  He  also  says :  '  Laodice,  sister  of 
Mithridates,  poisoned  her  husband  for  a  base  fellow.  Lucretia 
pined  and  died  for  Euryalus.  Alexander,  to  please  Thais,  set 
Persepolis  on  fire,  and  for  love  married  Roxane,  a  poor  man's 
daughter.  Cephalus,  stricken  by  the  gad-fly  of  love,  rushed  head- 
long from  a  high  summit  for  the  love  of  Protela.  King  John  left 
his  crown  for  Matilda,  the  nun  at  Dunmow.  Leander  swam  the 
Hellespont  for  the  love  of  Hero,  until  he  sank  beneath  the  burthen 


< 


n8  The  Lady  of  New  Orleans. 

of  his  own  weight,'  unlike  the  modern  suicide,  a  model  of  devotion. 
There  are  in  our  day  those  who  forego  fortune,  and  others  who 
forfeit  principalities,  yea,  a  mother's  love  for  love  of  another." 

"  Go  on,"  she  said,  "  tell  me  something  more." 

"  It  takes  but  a  spark  from  which  to  kindle  love,"  he  continued. 
"  The  magnetism  that  draws  together  may  be  frail,  but  like  prick- 
ing the  flesh  with  a  sharp-pointed  instrument,  it  thrills  through  the 
entire  anatomy  and  causes  every  fiber  to  move." 

"  But  love,  like  the  place,  may  be  healed." 

"Ah,  but  it  leaves  a  scar,"  retorted  Millyard  with  assurance. 

"  Not  every  time.  Though  it  is  true  there  may  be  reminders 
and  memories  of  it." 

"  There   can  be  a  memory  of  it  without  a  scar,"  he  said. 

"  Hence,  you  may  think  of  that  lady  to  whom  you  were  engaged 
and,  some  time,  wish  that  you  had  married  her." 

"  Were  I  to  say  that  such  time  may  not,  will  not,  come,  I  would 
be  saying  something  of  which  I  know  nothing." 

"  That  is  clever.     Still  guarded  at  every  point." 

"  I  am  a  man,  and  am  like  all  men  and  women,  for  that  matter, 
in  the  respect  that  I  have  my  ideal  of  the  one  whom  I  must  love 
and  cherish.  And  you  are  that  one.  I  love  you.  I  feel  I  could 
melt  to  nothing  under  the  glare  of  your  approving  eyes.  I  love 
you,  yes,  O,  so  sweetly  and  tenderly.  If  I  knew  that  I  could  live 
in  dreamland  and  love  you  always  as  I  do  now,  and  that  you 
would  so  regard  me,  and  be  towards  me  as  you  now  appear  to  be, 
I  should  wish  to  never  marry,  but  prefer  to  sit  and  gaze  on  your 
beautiful  face  and  form  and  listen  to  the  sweet,  cheerful,  brilliant 
words  you  speak  so  musically  until  eternity  has  its  end." 

"  Delightful !     Go  on !  "  exclaimed  Miss  de  Ampbert. 

"  It  is  I  who  wish  you  to  go  on,"  said  Millyard. 

"  You  said  you  were  my  most  obedient." 

"I  repeat:  I  am  entirely  yours,"  said  Millyard,  prising  from 
his  seat  and  advancing,  concluding:  "Can  we  sit  upon  the 
sofa?" 

"  Why  not  this  vis-a-vis  chair  ?  " 

"  That  will  be  lovely.  Why  have  we  not  been  occupying  this 
chair  before?  " 

"  I  suppose  because  you  never  suggested  it.  However,  we  must 
leave  for  the  opera  presently." 

"  This  is  opera  sufficient  for  me.  Were  it  not  for  your  pleasure 
I  would  prefer  to  remain  here." 


Millyard  as  a  Courteous  Courtier.  119 

"  When  you  are  at  the  opera  you  will  be  entertained..  Do  you 
not  like  the  opera  ?  " 

"  Very  much.  But  I  am  so  delightfully  entertained  here  that  I 
am  loth  to  break  the  spell  that  binds  me  so  enchantingly." 

"  Be  thou  still,  Caius,  I'll  be  Cala,"  laughing  merrily  she 
said,  . 

"  Lovely!  Unsubdued  love  and  frankness  go  hand  in  hand  and 
carry  the  livery  of  heaven,"  exclaimed  Millyard,  as  he  took  her 
right  hand  in  his.  "  Can  you  then  be  angry  with  me  when  I  tell 
you  that  I  love  you  ?  Seeing  love  in  your  eye  may  I  not  hope  that 
the  love  in  your  heart  is  for  me  ?  " 

"  You  said  that  actions  sometimes  speak  louder  than  words !  " 
"  So  I  did.     So  they  do.     I  also  am  so  happy." 

"  I  also  am  glad,"  retorted  Miss  de  Ampbert,  with  a  vivacity  that 
was  deliciously  pleasing.  "  I  first  saw  you  at  the  Charity  ball  in 
the  Odd  Fellows'  Hall.  It  was  my  pleasure  to  notice  your  easy, 
poised  movement  and  how  gracefully  you  danced.  I  desired 
ever  so  much  to  meet  you." 

"  Had  you  not  come  to  that  dingy  court-room  and  become  my 
bondswoman  I  might  never  have  enjoyed  this  delightful  pleasure 
and  exquisite  happiness." 

"  But  I  went.  Now,  I  would  go  again  several  times,"  earnestly 
she  said. 

"  Sweetie !  "  exclaimed  Millyard;  gently  exerting  a  pressure  on 
her  hand.  Miss  de  Ampbert  laughed  merrily  and,  tossing  her 
beautiful  head  backward,  said :   • 

"  Say  that  again,  please." 

"  Now  you  mock  me,"  retorted  Millyard. 

"  Nay,  nay,  nay,"  quickly  she  replied.      '  You  say  it  so  nicely." 

"  Well,  sweetie,  the  estro  has  to  be  on  me  when  I  say  those 
things." 

"  Keep  the  estro  boiling.    Encourage  a  centrifugal  whirl." 

"  It  is  only  by  inspiration  from  you  that  it  stirs.  It  comes  not  of 
itself.  There  must  be  a  cause  to  produce  it.  That  cause  in  this 
case  is  your  own  blood-stirring  smile  and  quickening  brilliancy 
of  speech." 

"  Why  are  not  all  men  as  you  are,  so  charmingly  agreeable?  I 
could  easily  wish  I  had  been  at  school  with  you.  I  had  my  school- 
ing at  Paris,  but  I  could  never  learn  to  admire  the  Frenchman, 
although  my  father  was  a  Frenchman." 

"  Why  are  not  all  ladies  so  charmingly  captivating,  refined  and 


120  The  Lady  of  New  Orleans. 

brilliant  as  yourself?  I  answer  your  lovely  question  by  asking  one 
of  you  in  return." 

"  There  are  many  reasons  why  there  are  disparities  between 
people.  Environment  and  training  in  the  youth  have  much  to  do 
with  evolving  refinement  and  culture.  I  fear  we  will  be  late  at  the 
opera ;  we  must  go.  Please  be  patient  until  I  secure  my  opera 
cloak." 

Miss  de  Ampbert  and  Alpha  Millyard  were  just  in  time  to  be 
seated  in  her  private  box  at  the  French  opera-house  when  the 
curtain  went  up. 

Mr.  Millyard  had  been  there  often  before  but  never  with  a  lady, 
and  his  seat  had  been  down  in  the  parquette. 


They  Plighted  their  Troth.  121 


CHAPTER  XXI. 

THEY   PLIGHTED  THEIR  TROTH. 

"  d,  my  !  See  the  people  looking  at  us,"  exclaimed  Miss  de 
Ampbert  at  the  end  of  the  first  act  when  she  scanned  the  audience 
through  her  gold-mounted  pearl  opera-glasses.  Handing  them 
to  Millyard,  she  added :  "  Look  with  the  glasses  and  see  if  you 
know  any  of  them." 

Mr.  Millyard  glanced  over  the  animated  scene  and  suddenly 
said : 

"  Yes,  there  is  Miss  Sophia  Cuyler,  of  Savannah,  just  opposite. 
She  is  in  that  box  where  you  see  the  flag." 

"  Is  Miss  Cuyler  beautiful  ?  " 

"  I  leave  that  for  you  to  judge,"  said  Millyard,  returning  the 
glasses  to  Miss  de  Ampbert.  "  You  can  look  and  see  what  you 
think." 

"  O,  she  is  lovely !  She  is  with  a  friend  of  mine.  That  is,  an 
acquaintance.    Do  you  know  Miss  Cuyler  well  ?  " 

"  I  have  met  her  several  times.  I  saw  her  at  Black  Creek  Falls, 
a  summer  resort  in  North  Alabama,  nearly  every  day  during  sev- 
eral weeks  one  summer.  There !  I  also  see  Miss  Salena  Gordon, 
of  the  Blue  Grass.    I  met  her  in  Louisville." 

"  Look  at  her  with  the  glasses,"  said  Miss  de  Ampbert. 

Taking  the  glasses  and  looking,  Millyard  observed: 

"  She  is  looking  direct  at  us.  I  wonder  if  she  can  recognize  me? 
You  just  can  see  her  in  that  box  to  the  left  where  there  is  a  crowd 
of  people." 

"  She  is  handsome,  beautiful,"  exclaimed  Miss  de  Ampbert  after 
she  had  looked  through  the  glasses.  "  Why  have  you  not  married 
some  of  these  beautiful  ladies  ?  " 

"  Would  you  try  to  have  me  think  I  have  ever  met  the  right  one 
before  meeting  you?  Fate  for  me  has  reserved  such  happiness 
until  I  met  you.     For  which,  I  thank  both  my  God  and  you." 

"  You  will  say  pretty  things,  no  difference  what  I  say." 


122  The  Lady  of  New  Orleans. 

"  You  cannot  metamorphose  yourself,  neither  can  I  resist  the 
speaking  of  my  mind.  You  involuntarily  draw  me  out,  mind  and 
soul." 

"  I  never  had  so  many  nice  things  said  to  me  before  by  any 
man." 

"  Ah !  You  never  had  the  right  man  to  talk  to  you  before,"  he 
retorted. 

"  Continue ;  it  is  frivolous,  but  it  is  delicious,  from  you." 

"  Sure  ?    No  one  else  ?  "  he  queried. 

"  I  would  not  allow  any  one  else  the  opportunity.  There,  now 
you  have  drawn  me  out."  A  beautiful  glow  suffused  the  cheeks 
of  Miss  de  Ampbert  and  for  the  first  time  to  him  she  appeared  em- 
barrassed. 

"  I  did  not  know  a  woman  could  so  fascinate  and  enthrall. 
I  am  not  surprised  at  John  for  leaving  his  crown  for  Matilda. 
Suppose  we  go  home?  "  Millyard  said,  appealingly. 

"  O,  not  until  the  opera  is  over,"  quickly  she  answered.  "  There 
are  three  more  acts.    There  goes  the  curtain." 

The  opera  being  over  they  were  returning  in  the  victoria  to  her 
home  when  Miss  de  Ampbert  suddenly  inquired,  in  a  very  serious 
manner  and  hesitating  tone  of  voice : 

"  Would  you  ever  make  me  jealous?  " 

'''  Not  for  the  world !  Jealousy  is  a  godlike  attribute,  but  I 
hope  my  love  for  you  is  too  well  placed  for  me  to  make  you 
jealous.    Why  do  you  ask?  " 

'  You  gentlemen  roam  about  so  much.  I  ask  the  question  be- 
cause it  would  be  so  easy  to  make  me  jealous  of  you.  And  you 
know,  as  you  said :  ant  amat,  ant  odit  mulier.  A  woman  either 
loves  or  hates." 

'  Were  you  to  marry  me  I  .should  cease  to  be  nomadic,  if  I  am 
so,  and  would  prefer  to  remain  with  you  all  the  time  when  not  at- 
tending to  business." 

''  Business  would  not  keep  you  away.  My  investments  are  all 
very  good  ones  and  my  income,  which  will  no  doubt  grow,  will 
more  than  be  a  competency  for  any  indulgencies  we  may  desire." 

'  You  consent  to  marry  me  then?  "  eagerly  inquired  Millyard. 

"  That  question  I  will  answer  sometime  when  we  are  at  home." 

They  were  both  silent  during  several  minutes.  Finally  Millyard 
inquired : 

"  Do  you  know  a  Mr.  Villeguini  ?  " 

"  The  banker  ?  "  she  asked. 


They  Plighted  their  Troth.  123 

"  Yes.     I  understand  he  is  a  banker  on  Camp  street." 

"  I  know  him  very  well.  I  own  considerable  stock  in  his 
bank." 

"  What  kind  of  a  man  is  he?  "  Millyard  asked. 

"  How?    In  what  way?  "  she  demanded. 

"  Is  he  a  scheming-,  bad  sort  of  man?  Mr.  Delarue  has  dis- 
covered that  Mr.  Villeguini  is  the  prime  instigator  of  all  the  per- 
secution against  me.  It  seems  that  he  is  infatuated  with  Miss 
Bertha  Rosenstin  and  asserts  with  much  boldness  and  confidence 
that  because  she  loves  me  I  shall  leave  New  Orleans  or  he  will 
have  me  convicted  and  sent  to  the  penitentiary  at  Baton  Rouge. 
I  ween  he  desires  to  enmesh  me  in  some  way  for  a  selfish  purpose. 
He  has  been  paying  money  to  Mr.  Delarue  and  urging  him  to  per- 
suade me  to  leave  New  Orleans  and  never  return." 

"  He  shall  do  nothing  of  the  kind  with  you,"  she  exclaimed.  "  If 
he  persists  I  will  see  that  Mr.  Villeguini  at  once  steps  down  and 
out  of  that  bank."  She  was  displaying  spirit  and  a  little  feeling 
in  the  matter.  "  I  wish  you  would  please  tell  Mr.  Delarue  to 
come  to  my  house  and  see  me  to-morrow  at  eleven  o'clock.  I  will 
put  a  quietus  on  Mr.  Villeguini's  conduct."  Then  calming,  she 
added :  "  Aunt  Jane  intimated  something  of  this  to  me,  but  I  did 
not  understand.  I  will  send  for  her  in  the  morning  and  learn  all 
about  it." 

"  Mr.  Villeguini  is  very  bitter  against  me,"  said  Millyard,  re- 
flectively. 

"  The  mean  man.  I  thought  there  must  be  some  secret  enemy 
at  work  against  you.  I  know  the  girl  is  not  doing  it,  for  she  is 
desperately  in  love  with  you,  so  Aunt  Jane  says." 

"  No  doubt.  She  told  me  herself  she  loved  me.  But  it  ought 
to  be  readily  understood  that  I  cannot  marry  her.  Nor  would  I, 
nor  did  I,  take  advantage  of  her  love." 

"  Yes,  I  am  aware  of  those  things.  I  want  to  see  Mr.  Delarue 
in  the  morning,  sure.  I  shall  present  the  matter  to  the  board  of 
directors  of  the  bank  at  noon  if  Mr.  Villeguini  does  not  agree  to 
cease  and  to  rectify  what  he  has  done." 

By  this  time  they  had  arrived  at  her  mansion.  She  directed  her 
coachman  to  wait  and  take  Mr.  Millyard  to  his  boarding-house. 

Millyard  required  no  pressing  invitation  to  remain,  though  she 
suggested  that  her  chef  had  warm  luncheon  and  hot  coffee  wait- 
ing, for  he  remembered  her  intimation  that  she  would  probably 
tell  him  at  her  home  whether  she  would  marry  him. 


124  The  Lady  of  New  Orleans. 

After  lunch,  wine  and  champagne,  they  returned  to  the  draw- 
ing-room and  took  seats  in  the  vis-a-vis  chair. 

"  I  presume  of  course,"  he  began  at  once,  "  you  have  not  for- 
gotten a  statement  you  made  as  we  were  coming  from  the  opera? 
I  do  not  wish  to  be  unduly  bold  or  too  fast,  but  I  feel,  and  in  fact, 
fully  know,  that  I  could  and  would  be  happy  all  the  time  with 
you.  I  would  do  myself  injustice  and  my  conscience  greater  vio- 
lence were  I  ever  to  do  anything  or  fail  to  do  anything  that  would 
cause  you  one  moment's  unhappiness.  Will  you  not  tell  me  to- 
night, please,  that  you  will  marry  me  ?  " 

"  Mr.  Millyard,  I  believe  I  do  love  you,"  she  said,  demurely.  "  I 
have  been  unable  to  conceal  it.  You  are  so  charming  and  have 
drawn  me  out  so  adroitly." 

"  Sweetie,  will  you  let  me  marry  you  then  ?  "  He  asked  the 
question  curiously,  but  he  meant  it,  from  what  followed.  "  You 
have  something  of  this  world's  goods  while  I  have  nothing  but  my 
profession  and  my  brains.  Were  our  souls  united  in  fact  as  well 
as  in  the  bonds  of  love  I  am  sure  we  both  would  be  happy.  Please 
tell  me  to-night  if  you  will  consent  to  be  my  wife." 

He  held  her  hand  between  his  two  hands  and  gazed  ear- 
nestly into  her  liquid,  sparkling,  hazel  eyes. 

"  Yes,  Mr.  Millyard ;  I  will." 

Millyard  as  quickly  cast  one  of  his  arms  round  her  shapely 
shoulder  and  neck  and,  pressing  her  heaving  bosom  to  his  heart, 
planted  kiss  after  kiss  upon  her  beautiful  crimson  lips. 

Looking  into  her  glorious  eyes,  in  rapturous  demonstrations  of 
exultant  delight,  he  at  length  found  the  effort  to  say : 

"  Now  I  can  call  you  Sweetie?  " 

"  All  the  time,"  she  softly  replied,  and  closed  her  eyes. 

'  Kissing  her  again  he  asked  :  "  When  can  I  say,  my  Sweetie?  " 
emphasizing  the  word  "  my." 

"  On  that  subject  I  have  not  seriously  reflected.  Of  course  it 
will  have  to  be  after  you  are  acquitted  of  that  miserable  charge." 

"  Certainly.  I  could  not  think  of  having  you  marry  me  before 
that  event.  But  I  thought  probably  you  could  name  the  date  and 
make  it  contingent  as  soon  after  that  time  as  possible.  I  prefer 
not  to  have  a  long  engagement.  But  I  fear  in  my  adoration  I  am 
overleaping  bounds." 

"  Nay,  nay,"  she  said,  halting  in  her  speech  and  then  adding: 
"  I  am  so  happy.  It  is  a  joy  to  have  the  love  of  a  good,  noble 
man." 


They  Plighted  their  Troth.  125 

"  She  got  up  and,  walking  into  the  other  parlor,  tapped  the  sil- 
ver bell,  then  resumed  her  seat.  When  her  maid  appeared  Miss 
de  Ampbert  said : 

"  Tell  the  butler  to  bring  us  a  bottle  of  frapped  wine."  Then 
addressing  Mr.  Millyard  after  the  maid  was  gone,  she  said : 
"  These  servants  are  all  very  much  astonished  ;  have  their  curiosity 
aroused.  They  never  knew  me  to  have  a  gentleman  here  this  way 
before.  They  will  make  sure  now  that  I  am  to  be  married.  So 
I  guess  the  sooner  the  better.  We  may  as  well  arrange  to  be  mar- 
ried immediately  after  you  are  acquitted.  Then  we  can  sail  at 
once  for  Havre  on  one  of  our  steamers  and  go  to  Paris,  where  I 
have  a  splendid  home.  It  is  furnished ;  a  family  has  it  in 
charge." 

"  You  are  a  glorious  woman,"  exclaimed  Millyard.  "  And  you 
are  a  business  woman.  You  will  have  to  teach  me  about  my 
business." 

"  I  thought  lawyers  knew  all  about  business  ?  " 

"  Some  of  them  do.  But  I  am  young  in  the  cause  and  know 
only  some  law  and  very  little  about  business." 

"  Very  well  then,  I  will  teach  you  about  business." 

The  wine  being  brought  in  Miss  de  Ampbert  told  the  butler  to 
give  the  coachman  at  the  door  a  glass  of  brandy  and  take  one 
himself. 

"  I  trust  you  will  drink  to  her  health,"  added  Millyard. 

"  Are  you  sure  you  will  love  me  always  as  you  say  you  do 
now  ?  "  asked  Miss  de  Ampbert  in  a  serious  manner. 

"  I  hope  I  am  not  wanting  in  appreciation,  and  I  should  be  if 
I  did  not,"  he  answered. 

Miss  de  Ampbert  slapped  her  tiny  hands,  tossed  her  superb 
head  backward  and  laughed  merrily.  They  both  felt  their  cham- 
pagne. 

"  Speaking  of  my  case  and  my  probable  acquittal,"  said  Mill- 
yard,  "  Shakespeare  explains  the  case  wherein  he  says : 

'  A  man  may  see  how  this  world  goes  with  no  eyes ; 
Look  with  ears  ;  see  how  yon  justice  rails 
Upon  yon  simple  thief  ?     Hark  in  thine  ear, 
Change  places,  and  handy  dandy, 
Which  is  the  Justice,  which  is  the  thief?' 

"  I  am  being  weighed  in  a  tender  balance  scale.  But  I  think  a 
word  from  you  to  Mr.  Villeguini,  coupled  with  a  gentle  hint,  will 


126  The  Lady  of  New  Orleans. 

stop  the  entire  prosecution  and  persecution  of  me  without  a  trial 
in  court." 

"  The  word  and  hint  shall  be  given  to-morrow  morning-  Mr. 
Millyard." 

"  Call  me  Alpha,  please,"  said  Millyard,  rising.  "  I  must, 
though  reluctantly,  depart.  I  am  to  stop  overnight  at  the  St. 
Charles  hotel.     Mr.  Delarue  will  be  waiting  for  me  there." 

"  Plus  je  vous  voi,  plus  jc  vous  aime,"  said  Miss  de  Ampbert,  as 
Millyard  walked  out  in  the  hallway. 

"  I  do  not  comprehend,"  replied  Millyard.  "  Can  I  come  again 
to-morrow  ?  " 

'  In  the  afternoon,  of  course,  I  shall  expect  you,"  she  replied. 

"  Repeat  that  French,  please."    She  repeated  it. 

"  Please  translate  it  for  me." 

"  You  must  learn  French ;  I  am  French.  Look  in  the  books  for 
it." 

Millyard  was  repeating  as  near  as  he  could  all  the  while  he  was 
being  driven  to  the  St.  Charles  hotel  the  French  she  had  last 
spoken.  He  bethought  himself  just  in  time  to  refrain  from  asking 
the  coachman  the  meaning  of  the  words,  so  intently  was  he  in- 
terested. 

The  register  of  the  St.  Charles  showed  that  Alpha  Millyard  was 
"with"  Mike  Delarue,  room  184.  Delarue  was  "  not  in."  It 
was  midnight.  To  find  his  room-mate,  if  not  his  room,  Millyard 
went  to  Johnnie's.     Delarue  was  there  waiting,  half  asleep. 

''  By  all  the  powers  above  us!  "  exclaimed  Delarue.  "  If  you 
have  done  your  duty  you  have  made  love  to  that  fair  lady  !  " 

"  Mike,  I  did  not  only  make  love,  but  it  is  genuine.  I  have  be- 
come so  desperately  in  love  with  the  dear  creature  that  it  is  a 
mania.  Neither  does  it  stop  there :  I  proposed  and  have  been 
accepted." 

"  Shake !  By  all  the  Saints,  two  shakes !  Here,  let's  have  a 
quart,  not  less,  on  that.  Waiter,"  cried  Mike,  enthusiastically,  "  a 
quart  of  frapped. champ." 

"  By  Jove,  Mike  !  I  do  not  want  so  much." 

"  Eh,  hey,  had  some  down  there,  did  you  ?  That's  all  right.  I 
expected  as  much.  She  has  a  thirty-by-forty-foot  room  full  of  all 
kinds.     She  is  the  best  catch  in  New  Orleans." 

"  Ah,  Mike,  and  she  is  the  most  beautiful,  the  most  refined,  the 
most  highly  accomplished  and  the  most  intellectual.  I  have  to  prod 
my  mind ;  and  must  needs  go  to  school  again  or  study  more  at 
home.    Mike,  you  say  you  know  her  ?  " 


They  Plighted  their  Troth.  127 

"  Yes,  indeed.  Why,  I  told  you  I  have  known  her  since  she  was 
old  enough  to  be  known.  She  was  not  so  awfully  pretty  as  a  girl, 
but  she  is  now  the  most  beautiful  woman  in  all  New  Orleans. 
Some  of  the  beneficiaries  of  her  bounty,  which  is  large,  call  her 
'  the  lady  of  New  Orleans  ! '  " 

"  And"  such  a  graceful,  easy  carriage !  She  seems  to  glide.  I 
like  the  Grecian  outline  and  contour  of  her  features  ;  the  sparkling, 
brilliant  eyes,  black  tresses  and  such  enchanting  Hogarthian  black 
arches  over  those  large  hazel  eyes  that  they  kindle  love  in  the  path 
of  their  rays.  Teeth  like  pearls  and  the  voice  of  a  sainted  angel. 
Cheeks  like  Solomon  says  of  the  roes  that  are  twins,  alabaster,  with 
sufficient  of  the  sunset  glow  immediately  surrounding  the  dimples 
to  lend  a  halo  of  enticing  loveliness." 

"  Bravo,  my  boy !  You  describe  the  charming  woman  like  a 
Shakespeare,"  exclaimed  Delarue.    "  Fill  your  glass  again." 

"  Mike,  she  is  withal  a  business  woman,  too.  I  incidentally 
asked  her  about  Villeguini  and  intimated  what  part  he  is  playing. 
She  was  indignant  and  asked  me  to  tell  you  to  be  sure  and  come 
to  see  her  at  her  house  to-morrow  morning  before  eleven  o'clock. 
I  promised,  and  am  anxious  for  you  to  comply." 

"  I  will  go,  by  Jove !  even  if  it  rains  rocks !  "  shouted  Delarue 
emphatically.  "  We  used  to  have  a  little  colored  servant  girl  who 
would  sit  out  on  the  front  porch  and  watch  for  any  one  of  the  fam- 
ily to  come  home.  When  she  saw  one  coming  she  would  jump, 
clap  her  hands  in  ecstasv  and  exclaim :  '  Dar  he !  dar  he ! ' 
Now,  not  wishing  to  change  the  subject,  but,  '  dar  he!  dar  he!' 
Look  at  Volney,  as  he  is  reflected  in  that  mirror." 

Millyard  glanced  at  the  mirror  indicated.  He  saw  Volney  re- 
flected in  the  big  mirror  at  the  back  of  the  room  from  the  one  over 
the  front  door.  Volney  no  doubt  thought  he  was  standing  from 
their  view. 

Drinking  to  Millyard's  success  and  happiness,  Delarue  added : 
4      ''  Here  is  to  the  five  hundred  I  shall  strike  Villeguini  for  to- 
morrow before  he  gets  put  out  of  the  bank." 

:<  Mike,  if  you  do  could  you  loan  me  a  hundred  to  fit  up  for 
the  occasion  ?    I  am  to  be  married  as  soon  as  I  am  acquitted." 

'  You  have  made  hay.  Yes,  two  hundred.  Half  of  it,  my  boy, 
two  hundred  and  fifty.    All,  everything  but  twenty  dollars." 

"  Gracious,  Mike ;  you  are  too  clever." 

"  Didn't  you  pick  me  up  in  the  street?  Am  I  not  making  the 
money  off  you  and  your  misfortunes  ?  " 


128  The  Lady  of  New  Orleans. 


CHAPTER  XXII. 

MISS  DE  AMPBERT  DESCRIBES  MILLYARD. 

Mike,  how  am  I  to  manage  about  this  dress  suit  in  the  morn- 
ing?" remarked  Millyard  as  they  were  undressing  to  retire  for 
sleep.    "  I  should  not  wear  this  coat  on  the  streets  in  the  day." 

"  O,  fluke !  Yes,  you  can.  Get  in  the  street  car  and  ride  up  to 
your  boarding-house." 

"  Say,  Mike,  what  did  the  Rosenstins  have  to  say  ?  " 

"  Bertha  is  enraged  with  Villeguini.  He  had  been  there  to  see 
her  and  her  father.  He  wanted  her  to  be  a  witness  and  swear 
against  you.  She  refused.  She  says  she  told  him  she  never 
wanted  to  see  him  again.  Rosenstin  has  calmed  down  and  is 
taking  things  quite  indifferently.  He  nor  Bertha  seems  to  have 
known  anything  about  the  charge  against  you  for  seduction  until 
Villeguini  told  them.  Bertha  says  the  Recorder  made  the 
charge;  but  you  know  as  well  as  I  do  it  was  Villeguini's  work." 

"  I  wish  you  would  please  tell  Miss  de  Ampbert  about  that  to- 
morrow." 

"  I  will.  I  will  tell  the  whole  thing  right  straight  through. 
Bertha  had  been  away  all  night,  gone  to  some  woman's  house 
where  she  stopped  when  she  ran  away  the  first  time." 

"  I  know ;  Miss  de  Ampbert  told  me.  With  Aunt  Jane  down  on 
Dheumesneil  street.  Her  sister  is  Miss  de  Ampbert's  maid.  That 
is  the  channel  through  which  Miss  de  Ampbert  gained  her  infor- 
mation about  me.  Miss  Bertha  told  Aunt  Jane  and  Aunt  Jane 
told  Miss  de  Ampbert." 

'  That  is  funny.  Aunt  Jane  down  on  Dheumesneil  street  used 
to  belong  to  my  father.    Her  name  is  Jane  Delarue." 

"  That  is  funny,  too.  So  much  the  better,"  said  Millyard.  "  See 
her  also  and  get  her  to  tell  you  everything  she  knows  about  it." 

"  I  will  do  that  very  thing.  I  am  glad  you  told  me  about  this. 
Now  I  will  get  the  complete  history,  as  we  historians  say.  Bertha 
says  she  will  not  go  to  your  trial." 


Miss  De  Ampbert  Describes  Millyard.         129 

"  But  she  must  in  order  to  exonerate  me.  Besides,  if  she  does 
not  attend  it  will  give  them  grounds  to  continue  the  case." 

"  I  will  get  Aunt  Jane  to  persuade  her  to  attend.  That  is  if  the 
grand  jury  should  find  a  true  bill." 

"  That  is  a  fact,"  said  Millyard  in  surprise.  "  The  grand  jury 
will  have  to  indict  me  before  I  can  be  tried.  Bertha  will  have  to 
go  before  the  grand  jury  before  they  can  make  an  indictment.  In 
my  perplexity  I  had  overlooked  that  important  fact." 

"  Bertha  declares  she  will  not  go.  She  says  you  never  did  her 
the  least  harm  whatsoever  and  she  will  not  appear  against  you." 

"  The  grand  jury,"  said  Millyard,  "  cannot,  there  goes  another 
button,  present  a  true  bill  without  evidence  to  support  it.  If  she 
sticks  to  the  truth,  and  I  think  she  will,  her  testimony  will  be  to  the 
contrary  for  the  finding  of  a  true  bill." 

"  I  must  hurry  in  the  morning  and  get  my  five  hundred  dollars 
before  the  whole  matter  is  a  dead  cock  in  the  pit,"  lightly  spoke 
Delarue. 

"  I  am  afraid  I  will  not  be  able  to  collect  half  the  money  that  is 
due  me,"  said  Millyard,  making  ready  to  jump  on  the  bed. 

''  I  will  get  money  and  you  shall  have  it ;  and  you  will  be  a  free 
man  before  next  Monday  night." 

"  Mike,  you  savor  of  a  friend.  Don't  you  know  I  am  almost 
glad  all  this  happened  to  me?  It  has  brought  me  two  good 
friends,  Judge  Cotton  and  yourself,  and " 

"  A  beautiful  and  wealthy  wife,"  added  Delarue,  as  he  bounded 
on  to  the  bed. 

"  That  is  yet  to  happen,"  said  Millyard,  somewhat  sadly. 

"  But  she  is  your  friend,  to  say  the  least  of  it.  She  has  proved 
it,"  asserted  Mike. 

"  Ah,  indeed  she  has,"  responded  Millyard,  as  he  turned  off  the 
gas  and  got  on  the  bed,  saying :    "  Plus  je  vois,  plus  ju  came." 

"Plus  je  what?"  roared  Mike,  laughing.  "Now  you  dream 
of  Miss  de  Ampbert  and  I  will  dream  of  Villeguini." 

"  And  that  five  hundred  dollars  ?  "  inquiringly  added  Millyard. 

Next  morning  after  breakfast  Millyard  boarded  a  street  car  in 
front  of  the  St.  Charles  hotel  to  go  up-town  and  change  coats. 
He  happened  to  take  a  seat  behind  an  acquaintance,  who  said : 

"  Good  morning,  Mr.  Millyard.  I  saw  you  at  the  French  Opera 
last  night  in  the  box  with  the  charming  Miss  de  Ampbert." 

"  Yes,  thanks  ;  I  had  that  pleasure." 

"  O,  my!  but  ain't  she  beautiful?    She  looked  more  charming 

9 


130  The  Lady  of  New  Orleans. 

last  night  than  I  ever  saw  her.  All  glasses  were  turned  toward 
her  box.  No  one  had  ever  seen  her  accompanied  by  a  gentleman 
in  her  box  before." 

"  Indeed !  "  retorted  Millyard.  "  Then  I  do  feel  highly  hon- 
ored." 

"  I  have  long  desired  to  become  acquainted  with  her.  I  would 
be  ever  so  pleased  if  I  could  get  you  to  kindly  make  me  acquainted 
with  her.     She  has  but  few  acquaintances,  as  I  understand." 

"  I  could  not  presume  to  present  one  to  her  without  her  per- 
mission. The  fact  is,  I  have  not  been  acquainted  with  her  long 
enough  to  warrant  me  in  so  doing.  When  I  am  acquainted  with 
her  a  little  while  longer  then  I  could  make  bold  to  request  the 
pleasure  of  presenting  a  friend." 

"  Can  you  come  and  dine  with  me  at  the  Shakespeare  Club  this 
afternoon  ? "     That   was   one   of   the   leading  clubs   of   the   city. 

"  You  are  very  kind.  I  thank  you.  But  I  am  not  prepared  to 
tell  you  just  at  present  whether  I  can  do  so  or  not.  Therefore,  I 
will  have  to  forego  the  pleasure  this  time." 

Mr.  Millyard  got  off  the  street  car  at  his  street  and  walked  a 
couple  of  blocks  to  his  boarding-house.  He  changed  coats,  wrote 
during  two  hours,  then  went  down-town  to  look  after  his  business 
affairs  and  to  join  Delarue. 

These  were  stirring  times  in  the  eventful  career  of  Alpha  Mill- 
yard. 

Aunt  Jane  being  summoned  by  Miss  de  Ampbert,  was  at  her 
mansion  at  an  early  hour  in  the  morning. 

"  He  bin  here?  What  sort  looking  man  is  this  Mr.  Millyard?  " 
inquired  Aunt  Jane  of  Miss  de  Ampbert.  "  Miss  Berter  says  he  is 
the  handsomest  gentleman  she  ever  saw." 

"  I  do  not  know  your  Miss  Bertha,  but  I  think  she  is  a  good 
judge  in  that  respect,  Aunt  Jane,"  answered  Miss  de  Ampbert.  "  I 
will  try  to  describe  Mr.  Millyard  to  you ;  then  you  can  judge  for 
yourself: 

"He  is  about  my  age,  probably  a  year  older,  about  five  feet  nine 
inches  in  height,  weighs  about  a  hundred  and  fifty-five  pounds, 
stands  erect  like  a  Corinthian  column,  holds  his  head  up  like  a 
Roman  pro-consul,  gray  eyes  like  a  lion,  with  an  abundance  of 
white  around  the  glistening  pupils ;  somewhat  florid  complexion, 
though  soft,  clear  skin  to  show  the  finesse,  black  hair,  lovely  black 
mustache  and  imperial  on  his  well-rounded  chin,  a  strongly  Cer- 
vantes contour  of  face,  very  marked  in  affable  manners  and  alto- 


Miss  De  Ampbert  Describes  Millyard.         131 

gether  exquisitely  charming.  His  conversation  delicious,  inclined 
to  the  classic.  In  walking  he  uses  his  ankle  joints  and  does  not 
bob  up  and  down.  I  think  you  would  admire  him,  Aunt  Jane. 
I  first  saw  him  at  the  Charity  ball  and  admired  him  from  the  mo- 
ment I  laid  'my  eyes  on  him.  I  thought  he  would  seek  my  ac- 
quaintance that  night,  and  when  he  did  not  I  was  quite  disap- 
pointed." 

"  Well,  I  tell  you,  Miss  Rittea ;  from  what  Miss  Berter  says 
about  him  and  the  way  he  acted  with  her,  he  is  a  gentleman,  and  a 
mighty  good  man,"  said  Aunt  Jane,  earnestly.  "  Lem-me  tell  you, 
such  good  men  as  that  ain't  layin'  round  loose."  Aunt  Jane 
seemed  to  be  a  judge  of  men,  too. 

The  arrival  of  Mr.  Delarue,  and  Miss  de  Ampbert's  determina- 
tion to  interview  Mr.  Villeguini  interfered  with  her  further  con- 
versation with  Aunt  Jane  for  the  time  being. 

When  Alpha  Millyard  repaired  to  Johnnie's  about  one  o'clock  he 
found  Delarue  waiting. 

"  Here,  bring  us  a  quart  of  the  frapped  widow,"  shouted  Del- 
arue as  Millyard  entered. 

"  Did  you  make  it  ?  "eagerly  inquired  Millyard. 

"  And  I've  got  'er  in  my  inside  pocket,"  chuckled  Delarue. 
"  Wait  till  we  have  a  good  lunch  and  drink  a  couple  of  bottles  of 
the  good  widow,  then  we  will  go  back  there  privately  and  I  will 
give  it  all  to  you  except  twenty  dollars.  You  see,  it  don't  take 
much  to  do  me,  only  enough  to  get  drinks  and  an  occasional  roost 
at  the  St.  Charles.  Besides,  I  have  considerable  of  the  hundred 
left." 

"  Yes,  Mike;  but  if  I  get  married  to  that  lady  I  want  you  to  be 
present  and  look  your  best."  Delarue  had  already  discarded  his 
beggar  clothing,  but  he  knew  Millyard  referred  to  his  habili- 
ments. 

"  O,  since  I  got  a  start,  you  give  it  to  me,  I  can  make  money 
right  along.  I  have  a  new  front  on  me,  don't  you  see  I  have?  I 
got  courage  again.  I  am  not  cut  out  for  a  beggar ;  haven't  got  the 
shape  and  expression."  Mike  made  a  show  of  exhibiting  his  per- 
sonal appearance. 

"  That  is  good.  I  am  glad  to  hear  of  it,"  said  Millyard.  "  You 
look  well.  You  improve  by  wear.  I  collected  some  money  this 
morning,  but  not  enough  to " 

"  This  is  yours,"  interrupted  Delarue.  "  You  shall  have  every 
cent  of  it  but  the  twenty.    The  old  rascal  tried  to  throw  me  off,  but 


132  The  Lady  of  New  Orleans. 

I  would  not  take  nonsense.  But  I  had  to  guarantee  to  him  that  you 
would  leave  New  Orleans  by  the  end  of  next  week  and  without 
Bertha  if  you  came  clear." 

"  That  is  all  right,"  said  Millyard.  "  Your  guarantee  is  safe. 
Did  you  see  Miss  de  Ampbert  ?  " 

"  Of  course !  Here,  give  us  another  quart  of  the  widow.  I 
told  her  all  about  the  whole  business.  She  was  fearfully  incensed 
against  Villeguini.  He  is  in  a  bad  row  of  stumps.  I  got  her  to 
wait  and  not  go  see  Villeguini  until  I  had  a  chance  to  see  him  and 
get  my  five  hundred.  Every  time  I  spoke  about  you,  especially 
if  it  was  anything  pleasant,  her  eyes  brightened,  her  cheeks 
glowed  and  she  was  in  a  quiver  to  hear  more.  I  am  witness, 
Alpha,  that  she  loves  you  to  her  soul's  deepest  depth.  When' 
these  French  Creole  women  love,  they  just  love  all  over." 

"  Did  you  see  Aunt  Jane?  " 

"  By  Jacks !  I  must  see  Aunt  Jane  this  afternoon.  I  hurried 
for  the  five  hundred  before  Miss  de  Ampbert  got  there.  Her 
interview  with  Villeguini  will  break  up  the  game.  Just  as  well 
burn  the  deck,  without  the  boy  being  on  it,  and  leave  the  story 
incomplete." 

"  Tell  me  something  what  Miss  de  Ampbert  said  about  me.  I 
am  an  egotist  and  interested  only  in  her." 

"  Great  Scott  or  Jerry  Jones !  A  thousand  and  one  questions," 
said  Delarue.  "  But  all  just  to  hear  me  talk  about  you.  Among 
other  things,  she  said  she  thought  you  was  a  charming  gentle- 
man. O,  there  is  not  a  bit  of  doubt  in  my  mind  but  that  you  are 
her  ideal  man.  By  the  way,  she  is  looking  for  you  this  after- 
noon." 

"  Yes,  I  told  her  I  would  come  and  I  am  going.  When  I  got 
in  the  street  car  this  morning  I  had  an  invitation  from  Mr.  Ed- 
ward Flowers  to  dine  with  him  at  the  Shakespeare  Club  this  after- 
noon. He  wants  to  get  acquainted  with  Miss  de  Ampbert.  He 
said  he  saw  us  at  the  French  Opera  last  night." 

"  Yes,  all  the  bloods  will  be  running  after  you  now,"  returned 
Delarue. 

"  They  must  needs  take  it  out  in  so  doing.  I  have  always  been 
charged  with  being  a  thoroughbred,  so  I  claim  the  benefit. 
Toadyism  will  make  no  impression  with  me." 

"  That  is  right,  my  boy ;  sensible  to  the  last,"  said  Delarue  as 
he  filled  the  glasses  and  emptied  the  second  bottle. 

"  Here  is  one  more  to  your  happiness,"  he  added. 


Miss  De  Ampbert  Describes  Millyard.         133 

Finishing  their  lunch  and  wine,  Delarue  invited  Millyard  into 
the  back  room.  He  produced  a  package  of  money  from  his  inside 
waistcoat  pocket  and,  drawing  out  a  twenty-dollar  bill,  said : 

"  Here  is  the  package  of  five  hundred  dollars  just  as  Ville- 
guini  handed  it  to  me,  minus  this  twenty-dollar  bill." 

"  Mike,  I  cannot  permit  myself  to  take  all  this  from  you.  Three 
hundred  dollars  will  be  enough  for  me,  with  what  I  have  and 
what  I  expect  to  collect." 

"  I  will  compromise  on  four  hundred  then,"  said  Mike,  "  and 
you  give  me  your  bills.  I  will  collect  them  for  you  or  make  your 
debtors  give  good  reasons." 

"  Now  that  will  do,"  acquiesced  Millyard.  "  I  am  going  to  see 
Miss  de  Ampbert  about  four  o'clock.  I  suppose  you  will  go  see 
Aunt  Jane?" 

"  Yes,  if  you  will  put  up  with  me  at  the  St.  Charles  again  to- 
night." 

Repairing  to  Millyard's  office  he  got  his  accounts  and  handed 
them  to  Delarue.     Then  they  went  to  the  office  of  Judge  Cotton. 

The  Judge  informed  Millyard  that  his  case  would  be  brought 
before  the  grand  jury  the  first  thing  after  its  organization  Mon- 
day morning.  This  was  very  agreeable  news  to  Millyard,  who 
then  said : 

"  Judge,  could  you  let  me  off  for  twenty-five  dollars  towards 
your  fee  for  the  present  ?    I  desire  to  pay  you  that  amount  now." 

;<  Certainly,  young  man,  as  you  are  a  brother  lawyer  and  in 
trouble.  If  it  inconveniences  you  in  any  way  you  need  not  pay 
at  present." 

'  The  truth  is,  my  business  has  suffered  during  my  troubles.  I 
collected  some  to-day,  but  not  near  all.  Mr.  Delarue  has  kindly 
loaned  me  some  of  what  he  got  from  Villeguini  to-day.  I  am 
to  be  married  as  soon  as  I  am  free  and  clear  of  this  charge 
against  me." 

'  What?  "  exclaimed  the  Judge.     "  Not  to  that  girl,  I  hope?  " 

'  Not  by  any  means,  Judge,"  replied  Millyard.  "  But  to  the 
lady  who  signed  my  bond." 

"  Ah,  Mr.  Millyard !  Audaccs  fortuna  juvat"  good-humor- 
edly  exclaimed  the  Judge.  "  I  thought  there  must  be  something 
in  that  transaction.  Well,  sir,  you  have  my  wish  for  very  much 
joy  and  unclouded  happiness.  Keep  the  twenty-five  dollars  until 
a  more  convenient  season." 


134  The  Lady  of  New  Orleans. 

"  You  are  very  kind,  Judge,"  said  Millyard.  "  Fortune  favors 
the  brave  sometimes,  but  not  all  the  time." 

"  But  the  brave  deserve  the  fair,"  quickly  interposed  Delarue. 

"  When  I  am  cleared,"  continued  Millyard,  "  exonerated  of 
this  charge,  which  I  hope  you  will  see  that  I  am,  I  shall  in  all 
probability  get  married  at  once  quietly  and  immediately  leave  for 
Paris.    Can  I  ask  as  a  favor  that  you  be  nresent  at  my  marriage?  " 

"  Certainly,  sir,  certainly.  With  much  pleasure.  Just  let  me 
know  the  time  and  place." 

Millyard  and  Delarue  went  their  way,  Millyard  to  see 
Mademoiselle  de  Ampbert  and  Delarue  to  consult  Aunt  Jane. 


Millyard's  First  Practical  Lesson.  135 


CHAPTER  XXIII. 
millyard's  first  practical  lesson. 

Nearing  Miss  de  Ampbert's  mansion  Alpha  Millyard  began 
thinking  of  the  French  phrase  she  had  quoted  to  him  the  evening 
previous.     He  longed  to  know  its  meaning  in  English. 

As  Miss  de  Ampbert  entered  the  parlor  to  greet  him  she 
slapped  her  little  hands  together,  exclaiming: 

"  Plus  jc  vous  vois,  plus  je  vous  aimc! " 

Hurrying  to  greet  her  with  a  gallant  salute,  Millyard  inquired 
the  meaning  of  the  words  in  English. 

"  I  am  tantalized,"  he  said.  '  Those  words  rang  in  my.  ears 
and  were  in  my  mind  all  last  night.  I  was  trying  to  think  of 
them  while  on  my  way  here.  You  spoke  them  so  sweetly.  I 
know  they  mean  something  nice  else  you  would  not  have  said 
them." 

'  There,  you  are  sweet  of  speech  as  usual.  I  am  glad  you  have 
come.     We  will  sit  in  our  chair." 

"  I  have  much  good  news  to  tell  you.  I  have  just  parted  from 
Mr.  Delarue.  He  is  going  to  see  Aunt  Jane.  She  formerly  be- 
longed to  his  father.  We  had  been  to  Judge  Cotton's  office.  He 
said  he  would  get  me  to  be  a  free  man  again  next  Monday  im- 
mediately after  court  opens." 

"  Then "     She  halted  in  her  speech. 

'  Then,"  interposed  Millyard,  seeing  that  she  hesitated,  "  we 
will  be  married  just  as  soon  as  you  can — allow  me.  I  am  be- 
ginning to  feel  myself  again." 

'  The  sooner  the  better,"  she  said,  nodding  her  head.  "  Aunt 
Jane?  Her  name  sure  enough  is  Jane  Delarue.  I  had  not 
thought  of  that.  She  was  here  to  see  me  this  morning  and  again 
this  afternoon.  She  said  Miss  Bertha  was  at  her  house  all  night. 
Aunt  Jane  told  her,  which  she  ought  not  to  have  done,  that  you 
were  to  be  here  for  dinner  to-day.    Bertha  was  annoyed  about  it. 


136  The  Lady  of  New  Orleans. 

Did  Mr.  Delarue  get  the  five  hundred  dollars  from  Mr.  Ville- 
guini  ?  "  she  asked  quickly. 

"  Yes,  and  gave  me  the  largest  part  of  it.  He  is  a  noble  man. 
Villeguini  paid  it  under  an  agrrement  that  he  would  have  me 
away  from  New  Orleans  by  the  end  of  next  week  and  without 
Miss  Bertha.  I  would  not  have  her,  I  could  not.  So  he  is  safe 
in  that  part  of  the  bargain." 

'  Yes,  and  in  the  other  also,"  said  Miss  de  Ampbert.  "  I  saw 
Mr.  Villeguini  soon  after  Mr.  Delarue  was  at  the  bank.  I  told 
him  plainly  that  he  should  lose  his  position  in  the  bank  and  be 
exposed  if  he  did  not  have  you  exonerated,  and  at  once.  I  told 
him  he  had  to  put  it  in  the  newspapers  and  to  do  it  in  such  way 
that  it  would  bring  no  reproach  upon  you  or  your  friends.  He 
agreed  to  do  it  and  said  he  would  have  it  in  Sunday's  papers. 
That  is  day  after  to-morrow."    • 

"  Sweet  woman,  my  Sweetie,"  pathetically  cried  Millyard.  "  I 
do  not  know  how  I  shall  ever  be  able  to  reward  you  sufficiently 
for  your  goodness  and  great  kindness  to  me." 

'  Remain  and  dine  with  me,"  she  said,  laughing  merrily. 

'  That  will  I  gladlv  do.  But  I  must  reward  you  better  than 
that." 

"  Love  me ;  love  me  much,  very  much,  as  hard  as  you  can,"  said 
she  with  emphasis,  shrugging  her  shoulders  and  laughing  again. 

"  I  am  already  enjoying  that  blissfully  exhilarating  sensation," 
retorted  Millyard,  "  and  it  is  happiness  to  know  that  it  is  re- 
turned." 

"  Continue  so  through  life.    That  will  reward  me." 

"  I  swear  I  will.     Kiss  me." 

There  were  two  souls  with  one  thought,  two  hearts  that  were 
beating  in  unison. 

Nor  is  it  strange  that  worth  should  wed  to  worth. 
The  pride  of  genius  with  the  pride  of  birth. 

Mr.  Millyard,  gallant  fellow,  saluted  her  again ;  probably  sev- 
eral times.     Demurely  he  asked : 

'  If  I  come  clear  on  Monday  shall  we  be  married  next  week  ?  " 
"  If  you  say  so,  love,"  she  replied  sweetly. 

'  It  would  please  me.     Sav  about  Wednesday  or  Thursday." 

'  There  is  one  of  our  steamers  to  leave  Wednesday  evening. 
It  will  go  down  the  river  and  be  ready  to  cross  the  bar  at  daylight 


Millyard's  First  Practical  Lesson.  137 

Thursday  morning.  I  have  an  interest  in  the  company  and 
prefer  to  go  on  one  of  our  steamers.  If  you  say  so  I  will  speak 
to  our  agent  here  to-morrow  to  reserve  and  prepare  for  me  the 
best  suite  of  staterooms." 

'  Then  we  can  be  married  at  high  noon  on  Wednesday?  "  joy- 
fully suggested  Millyard.     "  But  at  which  church?" 

'  I  was  partly  educated  in  a  Roman  Catholic  convent.  Here 
in  New  Orleans,  however,  I  have  attended  a  little  Episcopal 
Mission  Church.  I  go  there  to  help  those  people.  They  are 
poor." 

"  That  suits  me  exactly.     I  am  an  Episcopalian." 

"  Splendid,  as  you  Georgians  sometimes  say.  Then  we  can 
have  a  five-o'clock  dinner  at  home.  I  shall  have  only  one 
lady  friend  to  attend  and  the  servants,  who  are  so  good  to  me." 

"  I  would  be  pleased  to  have  Judge  Cotton  and  Mr.  Delarue 
present." 

'  That  will  be  the  very  thing.     They  can  be  witnesses." 

'  I  will  see  the  Rector  of  the  mission,"  suggested  Millyard,  "  so 
that  he  will  be  sure  to  be  at  home  and  ready  for  us  on  Wednes- 
day." 

'  No,  no,  no!  You  let  me  see  him.  I  will  speak  with  him  Sun- 
day after  services.  You  must  come  and  attend  church  with 
me." 

"  I  will  be  happy  to  do  so.  I  have  not  accompanied  a  lady  to 
church  in  nearly  three  years.  It  was  quite  the  vogue  with  us 
for  a  gentleman  to  accompany  a  lady  to  church." 

Miss  de  Ampbert  got  up  and  tapped  the  little  bell.  Resuming 
her  seat,  she  said : 

'  Talking  over  these  business  affairs  of  our  marriage  you  have 
become  ennui;  we  must  have  some  wine.  But  you  do  not  drink 
much,  do  you  ?  " 

'  Very  little,"  replied  Millyard.     "  I  have  drank  more  recently 
than  altogether  previously.     I  shall  prefer  to  do  my  drinking  at  I 
home.    You  can  then  see  how  much  and  how  little  I  do  drink." 
"  That  is  the  best  way  for  a  gentleman  to  do." 
Her  maid  appearing,  Miss  de  Ampbert  gave  an  order  for  the 
steward  to  bring  a  bottle  of  wine.     When  the  wine  was  brought 
Miss  de  Ampbert  offered  a  toast,  hoping  that  the  article  would 
appear  as  it  should  all  right  in  the  papers  Sunday  morning,  and 
that  he  would  be  acquitted  of  the  charge  against  him  on  Monday 
morning. 


138  The  Lady  of  New  Orleans. 

Responding  to  the  toast,  Alpha  Millyard  impulsively  said : 

"  Thank  you,  my  dear  Rittea;  and  that " 

Miss  de  Ampbert  interrupted,  saying  quickly  in  return : 

"  I  thought  the  wine  would  revive  the  lurking  estro  of  your 
feelings.  That  is  the  first  time  you  have  deigned  to  call  me 
plain  Rittea." 

"  It  will  be  a  pleasure  to  call  you  Rittea  all  the  time.  By  the 
way,  is  there  an  '  h  '  at  the  end  of  Rittea  ?  " 

"  Nix,"  she  quickly  spoke  in  reply,  laughing. 

"  I  do  not  speak  German,"  he  said  with  a  twinkle  in  his  eyes. 
'  But  I  would  be  pleased  to  become  your  pupil  to  learn  French." 

'  Very  well.     I  give  you  your  first  lesson  after  dinner,  Alpha." 

"  I  am  so  happy,"  exclaimed  Millyard.  "  You  called  me  plain 
Alpha.  That  is  the  way  we  young  people  addressed  each  other 
when  I  was  at  school.  The  rapid  progress  of  my  wooing  has 
quite  dazed  me." 

"  Because  you  addressed  each  other  by  your  given  names  when 
you  were  at  school  is  the  foundation  for  your  schoolboy  dream 
or  fancy  of  love,  I  suppose  ?  " 

"  I  presume,  to  some  extent,"  Millyard  replied.  "  But  I  have 
freed  that  lady  from  my  mind.  I  wrote  her  a  letter  day  before 
yesterday  and  informed  her  I  am  going  to  Europe.  I  have  no 
doubt  she  is  engaged  to  another,  married,  for  aught  I  know.  I 
trust  she  is  and  has  a  good  husband." 

"  I  shall  never  again  twit  you  about  her  or  any  other  lady," 
said  Miss  de  Ampbert,  stroking  her  delicate  fingers  through  Mill- 
yard's  soft  hair  above  the  forehead. 

"  My  dear  Rittea,  that  will  be  very  sweet  of  you.  It  pains  a 
man,  as  it  no  doubt  does  a  woman  also,  to  have  his  sincerity 
doubted,  even  seemingly,  by  one  whom  he  really  loves.  That  is, 
if  he  is  a  man  who  is  sincere.  Though  jealousy  were  a  handy 
thing  to  have." 

"  I  shall  never  do  so  again.  There  now,"  said  she  with  em- 
phasis, as  she  kissed  him,  "  you  see  I  seal  it." 

Both  of  them  had  made  assertions  of  which  they  knew  but 
little.  It  is  wise  in  one  to  seriously  consider  before  making  as- 
sertions as  to  what  they  will  surely  do  in  the  future. 

The  dinner-bell  jingled. 

"  Come,  we  will  walk  out  to  dinner,"  said  Mademoiselle. 

Mr.  Millyard  gallantly  took  her  right  arm  and  placed  it  under 
and  over  his  left  arm.    Thus  they  marched  to  the  dining-room. 


Millyard's  First  Practical  Lesson.  139 

The  servants  eyed  them  closely,  especially  so  with  regard  to 
Millyard,  who  had  his  black  mustache  curled  at  the  tips.  He  was 
looking-  his  best.  Miss  de  Ampbert  was  handsomely,  in  fact,  gor- 
geously, gowned. 

It  was  these  little  things,  together  with  the  dining  on  two  suc- 
cessive days  and  the  French  Opera  in  between  which  caused  the 
servants  to  begin  wondering  if  something  unusual  was  going  to 
happen. 

Finishing  their  dinner  with  wine  and  coffee,  the  blissful  dream- 
ing pair  returned  to  the  drawing-room. 

She  asked  him  if  they  should  attend  the  opera  again,  to  which 
he  replied  that  he  was  at  her  service.  She  then  gave  the  order 
to  her  maid : 

"  Tell  the  coachman  to  have  the  carriage  ready  for  the  opera. 
Tell  him  to  turn  down  the  top  and  take  the  white  horses." 

"  Do  you  not  wish  to  smoke  ?     Or  do  you  smoke  ?  "  she  asked. 

"  Sometimes  I  smoke,  but  very  seldom.  I  prefer  not  to  smoke 
now.     I  prefer  to  hear  you  sing  and  play." 

Miss  de  Ampbert  played  some  classic  instrumental  pieces  and 
sang  a  few  songs. 

"  What  about  that  lesson  in  French  ?  "  Millyard  inquired. 

"  You  can  come  to-morrow  and  receive  ze  first  lesson  in  ze 
French." 

"  Zat  will  give  me  ze  chance  to  come  again.  But,  you  see,  I 
wish  to  learn  that  French  phrase  which  you  quoted  to  me  so 
sweetly." 

"  Ah !  I  will  tell  you  what  that  means :  '  The  more  I  see  you, 
the  more  I  like  you.'  " 

"  I  should  say :  '  The  more  I  see  you,  the  more  I  love  you,' ' 
he  retorted. 

"  That  is  the  correct  rendition,"  she  repked. 

"  Beautiful!     I  say  the  same  to  you." 

"  But  you  must  say  something  original.  You  say  them  so 
nicely." 

"  VVhen  I  get  in  your  company  everything  nice  I  wanted  to  say 
goes  out  of  my  head,  like  a  candle  blown  out,  listening  to  what 
you  say." 

"  There,  that  is  nice.    Thank  you." 

Miss  de  Ampbert  had  been  softly  stroking  the  oiano  keys 
during  these  remarks.  They  continued  their  conversation  until 
time  to  depart  for  the  opera. 


140  The  Lady  of  New  Orleans. 

When  she  returned  to  the  parlor  gorgeously  attired  ready  for 
the  opera  Millyard  suddenly  remarked : 

'  There,  I  have  been  so  delightfully  entertained  and  interested 
that  I  forgot  all  about  my  dress  suit." 

"  Do  not  worry  yourself  about  that,  Alpha.  What  is  good 
enough  for  you  to  wear  in  my  presence  should  be  good  enough 
for  other  people.  I  have  an  idea  that  a  gentleman  should  deport 
himself  at  all  times  as  if  his  sweetheart  was  looking  right  at 
him." 

'  That  was  my  first  practical  lesson  in  life,"  said  Millyard. 

"  I  thought  so.  That  is  why  you  are  always  so  agreeable  and 
charming." 

Between  acts  they  were  again  the  cynosure  of  scores  of  eyes 
directed  at  them  through  lorgnettes. 

Returning  to  Miss  de  Ampbert's  home  after  the  opera,  Mr. 
Millyard  again  became  her  guest  at  luncheon,  and,  at  a  late  hour, 
her  coachman  conveyed  him  to  the  St.  Chr.rles  hotel. 

The  lives  of  the  happy  twain  were  rapidly  blending  into  one. 


Villeguini  Brought  to  Terms.  141 


CHAPTER  XXIV. 

VILLEGUINI  BROUGHT  TO  TERMS. 

"  Aunt  Jane  told  me  the  whole  story,"  said  Delarue,  no  lon- 
ger lean  and  hungry,  as  he  flung  himself  on  the  bed,  to  be  followed 
in  a  minute  by  Millyard.  "  She  said  Villeguini  had  been  to  see 
her  only  an  hour  before  I  got  there  and  that  he  was  furious.  He 
wanted  to  give  her  money  not  to  say  anything  about  what  Bertha 
had  told  her,  but  Aunt  Jane  refused  the  money.  Then  he  told  her 
he  would  try  and  get  the  parties  to  drop  the  whole  matter  on  Mon- 
day if  she  would  agree  not  to  tell  any  one  else  anvthing  about  the 
affair.  Jane  told  him  she  had  already  told  Miss  de  Ampbert 
everything. 

"  Bertha  came  while  I  was  there.  She  told  Aunt  Jane  you 
should  not  marry  Miss  de  Ampbert." 

"  I  guess  Miss  de  Ampbert  will  be  the  sole  judge  in  that  matter, 
for  we  are  plighted,  and  by  my  troth,  it  shall  be  no  fault  of  mine  if 
I  do  not  marry  her,"  exclaimed  Millyard. 

"  Well,  my  dear  boy,"  said  Mike,  "  you  are  the  quickest  wooer 
I  ever  saw,  and  lucky !    Good  gracious  !    Have  you  set  the  day?  ' 

Millyard  informed  him  they  had,  and  added :  '  That  is  if  I 
come  clear." 

"  O,  you  will  come  clear  now.  Villeguini  is  having  fits  and 
ague,  prefixed  and  suffixed  by  fever.  His  physical  make-up  can- 
not stand  the  strain.  I  knew  if  Miss  de  Ampbert  saw  him  before 
I  did  I  would  not  get  the  five  hundred  dollars." 

'  Yes.  she  told  me  she  saw  him  and  laid  some  law  down  to 
him.  He  agreed  to  have  something  exonerating  me  published  in 
the  papers  Sunday  morning." 

"  I  am  afraid  you  are  going  to  have  trouble  with  that  Bertha," 
sadly  said  Delarue.  "  She  was  very  ugly  about  the  idea  of  your 
marrying  Miss  de  Ampbert.  Aunt  Jane  innocently  told  her  that 
she  expected  you  two  would  be  married  after  your  troubles  are 
pver.    Bertha  became  furious.    I  left  her  there.    She  said  she  was 


142  The  Lady  of  New  Orleans. 

going  to  send  for  Villeguini.     But  I  guess  he  will  steer  clear  of 
her,  at  least  for  a  while." 

"  I  hope  I  will  never  see  the  girl  again,"  asserted  Millyard. 
"  She  has  been  my  bane,  but  is  also  likely  to  be  my  star-eyed  god- 
dess of  fortune.  Without  her  in  my  path  I  would  probabl;  never 
have  met  Miss  de  Ampbert." 

"  True   enough,    sir,   true   enough,"   asserted   Delarue.     "  And ' 
give  Bertha  rope,  she  will  tangle  her  feet  and  break  the  legs  on 
which  she  pedals." 

"  I  am  afraid  she  will  drown  herself,"  said  Millyard.  '  She 
intimated  that  line  of  self-destruction.  She  seems  to  be  infatu- 
ated with  my  shadow  even,  and  her  troubles  at  home  have  made 
her  a  desperate  woman. 

"  There  is,  I  think,  a  verse  in  the  Beggar's  Opera  which  runs 
something:  like  this : 


*& 


'  No  wonder  any  man  alive  will  ever  rear  a  daughter ; 
For  when  she's  drest  with  cost  and  care, 
All  tempting,  fine  and  gay ; 
She'll  serve  herself,  as  one  should  a  cucumber, 
And  fling  herself  away.' 

"  It  appears  to  me  as  though  she  may  fling  herself  away." 

"  O,  well,  that  will  be  another  poor  silly  woman  gone  the  way 
of  the  world,"  replied  Delarue. 

"  You  look  at  it  differently  from  what  I  do,  Mike.  You  have 
seen  so  much  of  the  wickedness  in  life  you  are  case-hardened.  I 
am  yet  young  and  probably  too  sympathetic." 

"  She  is  going  to  try  to  ruin  you,"  retorted  Mike.  "  See  if  she 
doesn't." 

"  I  can't  imagine  how  she  will  do  it." 

"  Women  find  ways  men  think  not  of  when  they  are  desperate. 
You  said  she  is  desperate.  I  discovered  down  there  this  afternoon 
that  she  is  at  least  on  that  road.  Villeguini  will  aid  her,- secretly, 
all  he  can  to  ruin  you." 

Next  morning,  Saturday,  Delarue  went  collecting  for  Millyard. 
The  latter  reported  at  his  boarding-house.  He  informed  Mr. 
Frank  and  his  family  that  he  would  probably  be  married  the 
next  Wednesday  and  leave  the  city  at  once.  After  writing  a 
couple  of  hours  he  returned  down-town.  After  visiting  the  office 
where  he  had  a  desk  he  repaired  to  Johnnie's  and  found  Delarue 
patiently  waiting. 


Villeguini  Brought  to  Terms.  143 

Delarue  explained  that  he  had  collected  two  hundred  and 
twenty  dollars  and  had  promises  for  metre  on  Monday.  He  de- 
clined Millyard's  offer  for  him  to  take  a  hundred  and  twenty  of 
the  money  for  his  drinks  and  "  roosting  "  at  the  St.  Charles,  tell- 
ing" Millyard  laughingly  to  offend  him  no  more ;  then  added : 

"  I  am  on  my  feet  again  ;  I  have  the  promise  of  a  '  sit.'  in  a 
wholesale  grocery  house  on  Gravier  street." 

'Situation?     Fortune  wipes  her  eyes  and  smiles,"  exclaimed 
Millyard. 

You  supplied  the  handkerchief,  now  you  don't  want  to  allow 
me  to  treat  you  square/'  pleaded  Delarue,  rather  sorrowfully. 

'  Well,  Mike,  just  as  you  say.  Have  it  your  way.  You  shall 
never  want  for  necessaries  as  long  as  I  have  anything." 

As  they  emerged  from  Johnnie's,  Millyard  remarked : 

"  I  have  an  engagement  to  go  back  there  again  at  four  o'clock 
and  take  a  lesson  in  French." 

"  By  jings,  my  boy,  you  are  making  something  better  than 
hay." 

"  Heretofore  I  deemed  it  silly,  but  now  I  fully  understand  why 
a  man  who  is  sincerely  in  love  does  not,  cannot,  remain  away  from 
his  love.  It  seems  too  long  until  four  o'clock.  But  a  man  in  haste, 
like  too  many  clams  at  a  bake,  makes  waste." 

"  Yes,  that  has  ever  been  the  way  with  ardent  wooers." 

"  I  think  I  will  decline  to  remain  for  dinner  unless  she  insists." 

"  O,  well,  you  will  not  be  back  here  before  twelve  o'clock  to- 
night." 

Sharp  at  four  o'clock  Alpha  Millyard  was  again  in  one  of  the 
parlors  of  the  grand  De  Ampbert  mansion. 

"  So  you  have  come  for  the  lesson  in  French  ?  "  in  soft  musical 
cadence  said  Miss  de  Ampbert.  "  When  I  was  out  in  the  city  to- 
day I  stopped  at  a  bookstore  and  purchased  the  proper  book, 
so  that  I  can  teach  you  sure  enough.  You  can  learn  a  little  here, 
catch  the  idea,  and  when  we  are  in  Paris  you  can  secure  a  French 
teacher." 

"  I  prefer  that  you  teach  me,"  said  Millyard,  quite  earnestly. 

"  That  is  very  nice.  It  is  quite  true  we  shall  have  not  much  of 
anything  else  to  do  except  to  see  the  sights,  visit  the  art-galleries 
and  museums ;  but  you  will  need  a  teacher  who  makes  it  his  busi- 
ness to  teach  English-speaking  people  how  to  speak  pure  Parisian 
French." 

Telling  him  that  he  was  fatigued,  she  rang  the  little  silver  bell 


144  The  Lady  of  New  Orleans. 

and  ga^e  an  order  for  wine.  Millyard's  protest  that  he  should  not 
remain  for  dinner  was  summarily  dealt  with  by  the  reply  that  he 
must.    She  added : 

"  We  must  attend  the  opera  again  to-night.  You  see,  I  am  a 
subscriber  and  have  to  pay  for  the  box  by  the  season  whether  I 
occupy  it  or  not.  We  must  attend  every  night  while  we  remain 
here  in  New  Orleans." 

Wine  was  brought  by  the  steward,  who  was  a  white  man,  a 
Frenchman ;  stiff-backed,  high-headed,  hair  trimmed  pompadour 
and  side  whiskers. 

Miss  de  Ampbert  ordered  the  steward  to  tell  the  coachman  she 
was  going  to  the  opera  and  to  give  him  a  wine-glass  of  brandy. 
"  You  may  have  some  also,"  she  added. 

"  Give  the  chef  some,"  suggested  Millyard. 

"  Yes,  give  them  all  some,"  exclaimed  Miss  de  Ampbert. 
"  Brandy,  if  they  want  it.     I  feel  so  happy." 

"  Before  drinking  your  wine?  "  naively  inquired  Millyard. 

"  I  am  intoxicated  by  you,  with  your  being  here." 

"  Glorious,"  he  exclaimed,  gently  clapping  his  hands. 

"  You  are  so  deferential  to  my  wishes,"  she  continued.  "  Will 
you  be  thus  always  ?  " 

'  Yea,  even  more  so.  I  could  not  be  otherwise,"  Millyard  re- 
plied. "  If  I  am  not,  you  must  gently  rebuke  me.  I  do  not  like 
harsh  language ;  it  excites  me..  I  cannot  placidly  hear  other  people 
quarrel.  It  unnerves  me  so  that  I  invariably  get  out  of  hearing 
as  quickly  as  possible." 

"  I  am  glad  of  that.  You  will  never  hear  harsh  language  from 
me.    I  do  not  know  what  it  is." 

She  proposed  that  they  ride  out  the  shell  road  after  dinner,  be- 
fore the  opera,  to  which  Millyard  agreed. 

She  rang  the  little  silver  bell  again.  When  a  maid  appeared  she 
ordered  that  the  coachman  have  the  open  carriage  and  white 
horses  ready  immediately  after  dinner,  adding:  "And  you  have 
my  apparel  ready  at  once." 

"  What  will  you  do  with  all  this  retinue  of  servants  while  we  are 
gone  to  Paris  ?  "  inquired  Alpha. 

"  I  will  take  my  maid  and  the  steward  with  us,  leave  the  chef 
and  some  of  them  here  and  send  the  remainder  to  my  plantation. 
I  propose  that  we  shall  remain  in  Paris  at  least  three  years,  ex- 
cept what  time  we  may  be  traveling  over  the  Continent  and 
visiting  the  watering-places  during  their  season.    You  will  from 


Villeguini  Brought  to  Terms.  145 

this  observe  that  I  have  already  made  my  plans.  I  have  studied 
over  this  while  you  were  away.     I  wish  to  .make  you  happy." 

"  I  am  happy' enough  in  you,  in  your  love." 

"  That  is  lovely.  We  will  do  then  just  as  we  may  desire  at 
the  time.  But  enough  of  business  affairs  for  the  present.  Let  us 
converse  about  something  more  interesting.  Say  something  sweet 
to  me." 

"  I  wish  I  were  lovely,  like  you,"  he  said. 

"  When  you  do  say  something  it  is  to  the  point,"  laughing  mer- 
rily, she  retorted.  "  It  strikes  to  the  quick.  I  think  you  are 
lovely.    It  is  you  who  are  making  me  feel  lovely." 

"  An  uncouth,  unpolished  young  man  as  I  feel  that  I  am, 
could  not  be  lovely.  But  I  hope  I  will  grow  better  with  experience 
with  you  as  my  incentive  and  my  guide." 

"  I  do  not  wish  you  any  better  than  what  you  are." 

When  Miss  de  Ampbert  returned  from  her  apartments  after 
dinner  she  was  gowned  in  a  beautiful  evening  costume.  Calling 
her  maid  she  said :  "  Bring  me  a  darker  garment  than  this  opera 
cloak;  I  will  leave  this  one  here  until  we  return  from  our  drive." 

They  went  far  out  on  the  shell  road,  across  the  bayou  and  down 
it  on  the  west  side  to  the  roadside  inn  near  Lake  Pontchartrain. 
This  is  a  most  delightful  carriage  drive.  The  wide  thoroughfare 
soft  and  velvety,  the  grand  lake  mapped  out  in  the  wide  expanse, 
the  great  city  in  outline  above  the  horizon  to  the  east  and  south- 
east, not  a  hill  or  knoll  in  the  perspective,  the  bayou  running 
straight  alongside  the  shell  road  like  a  grand  canal. 

The  opera-house  was  crowded  that  night,  almost  as  if  it  were  a 
Sunday  first-night.  Betwen  acts  opera-glasses  were  pointed  at  the 
happy  couple  from  all  directions.  There  were  also  present  the 
same  two  ladies,  the  one  from  Savannah  and  the  other  from  the 
blue  grass  of  Kentucky,  whom  Mr.  Millyard  saw  the  first  night 
he  was  there  with  Miss  de  Ampbert.  At  the  end  of  the  second 
act  they  both  bowed  to  Millyard. 

"  I  wish  I  could  meet  your  lady  friends,"  said  Miss  Rittea. 
"  They  certainly  recognized  you  and  bowed." 

"  It  is  too  late  now.  We  will  not  have  the  opportunity  before 
we  are  to  leave  New  Orleans." 

Arriving  at  her  home  after  the  opera,  Miss  de  Ampbert  again 
requested  Mr.  Millyard  to  come  in  the  house  and  take  luncheon. 
During  lunch  Millyard  recounted  what  Delarue  had  said  Bertha 


10 


146  The  Lady  of  New  Orleans. 

told  Aunt  Jane  concerning  him.  Whereupon  Miss  de  Ampbert 
said : 

"  I  would  warn  you :  beware  of  Miss  Bertha.  She  bodes  no 
good  but  evil  to  you.  If  by  chance  you  should  see  her  pay  no  at- 
tention to  her  or  what  she  says.  Pass  her  in  silence.  From  what 
Aunt  Jane  says,  if  you  do  she  will  abuse  you." 

"  I  will  do  as  you  say.     That  was  my  intention." 

That  night  a  few  minutes  before  twelve  by  the  city  clock,  Mr. 
Millyard  handed  Miss  de  Ampbert's  coachman  a  bill  of  U.  S.  cur- 
rency as  he  parted  from  him  in  front  of  the  St.  Charles  hotel. 

Millyard  and  Delarue  repaired  to  Johnnie's. 

'  Y"ou  are  prompt  to  meet  my  expectations,"    lid  Mike. 

"  How  is  that?  "  demanded  Millyard. 

"  I  told  you  that  you  would  not  be  back  here  until  twelve 
o'clock,"  answered  Delarue. 

"  Look  here,  Mike ;  there  is  one  thing  in  life  a  man  is  excusable 
for  making  himself  a  silly  idiot  about,"  said  Millyard,  earnestly. 
'  You  see,  she  is  absolutely  irresistible.  I  will  do  anything  she 
says  for  me  to  do.  Talk  about  hypnotism,  or  headnotism.  I  am 
in  it  for  anything  she  says.  I  am  enlisted  for  life  for  her  pleasure, 
not  mine."  They  had  been  at  Johnnie's  about  ten  minutes  when 
Mike  suggested  that  it  was  then  one  o'clock. 

"Let  the  hours  slide ;  I  want  Wednesdav  to  come,"  retorted 
Millyard. 

Being  up  so  late  caused  them  to  sleep  late  Sunday  morning. 
Millvard  bought  all  the  Sunday  papers.  In  two  of  them  there  ap- 
peared a  nicely-worded  article  about  Mr.  Alpha  Millyard  excul- 
pating h  m  from  any  complicity  in  attempting  to  abduct  Miss  Ber- 
tha Rosenstin  and  denying  all  the  charges  in  any  way  reflecting 
upor  him  with  regard  to  her  in  any  fashion  whatsoever. 

"  I  told  you  Miss  de  Ampbert  would  bring  Yilleguini  to  time," 
said  Mike,  exultantlv.  This  is  not  the  last  time  I  will  tell  vou 
truly." 

Millyard  informed  Delarue  after  breakfast  that  he  would  walk 
to  his  boarding-house,  make  a  change  of  clothing,  ride  down  in  a 
Barronne  street  car  and  meet  him  at  Tohnnie's.  After  which  he 
was  going  to  church  with  Miss  de  Ampbert. 


That  Awful  Bar-Sinister  Race.  147 


CHAPTER  XXV. 

THAT  AWFUL  BAR-SINISTER  RACE. 

The  lanes  that  fork  unknown,  the  bridges  that  are  suddenly 
gone,  the  horses  that  stubbornly  balk,  the  engines  that  collide  and 
the  ships  that  wreck  are  all  in  the  catalogue  of  possible  catastro- 
phes and  may  or  may  not  be  expected.  Thoughtful  persons  equip 
themselves  as  far  as  can  be  done  against  such  mishaps. 

Alpha  Millyard  was  well  equipped  and  thoughtful;  yet  he  was 
not  omniscient  any  more  than  other  men  as  to  dangers  which 
might  beset  him. 

As  he  was  crossing  Poydras  street  when  walking  up  St.  Charles 
street  going  to  his  boarding-house  after  leaving  the  hotel  he  met 
Bertha  Rosenstin  face  to  face  before  he  saw  the  girl. 

His  first  thought  was  of  what  his  betrothed  had  said. 

Bertha's  big,  brown  eyes  flashed  wildly  at  him  as  she  sullenly 
exclaimed : 

"  I  understand  you  are  going  to  marry  that  Miss  de  Ampbert. 
You  would  not  marry  me.  You  deceived  me  by  telling  me  you 
had  an  affianced  tar-heel  in  North  Carolina.  Have  you  forgotten 
her  so  soon?  I  will  sue  you  for  breach-of-promise.  Rittea  de 
Ampbert,  indeed !  She  is  nothing  but  an  octoroon.  Ah,  ha ! 
Going  to  marry  an  octoroon,  part  negress.  Her  mother  is  a  quad- 
roon ;  ha,  ha,  a  mulatto.  Her  ancestors  black.  Ha,  ha  !  Negroes, 
a  negro  and  a  negress.  Fine  gentleman  you  are.  Now  aren't 
you  ashamed  of  yourself?  Reject  Bertha  Rosenstin,  of  rich  and 
aristocratic  lineage,  for  the  near-by  descendant  of  a  negress !  I 
will  go  to  that  court  to-morrow  and  have  you  sent  to  the  peni- 
tentiary." 

This  was  not  all  she  said,  either. 

Miss  Bertha  Rosenstin  was  exhibiting  her  degeneracv  from  her 
aristocratic  lineage  and  breeding.  But  she  was  a  curious  girl. 
She  followed  Millyard  during  her  remarks  and  the  crowd  fol- 
lowed them  both. 


148  The  Lady  of  New  Orleans. 

Alpha  Millyard,  exasperated  to  desperation,  but  restraining 
himself,  walked  briskly  but  not  too  rapidly,  and  said  never  a  word 
in  reply  to  the  startling  statements  to  which  he  was  forced  to 
listen.  Bertha  Rosenstin's  loud  shouting,  as  well  as  the  language 
augmented  the  followers  by  every  one  in  hearing  or  parsing.  It 
wlas  a  strange  scene. 

Finally  Mr.  Millyard  got  away  from  his  tormentor  without 
having  said  a  word  in  reply.  But  when  he  got  free  he  had 
thoughts.     They  were  more  desultory  and  startling  than  curious. 

"  I  wonder  if  that  beautiful,  sweet  woman  is  an  octoroon  ?  '  he 
mused.  "  No,  no,  no ;  that  is  impossible.  She  is  a  French  Creole. 
[As  white  as  white  can  be.  O,  pshaw !  Bertha  is  simply  insanely 
jealous.  She  will  say  anything  to  try  and  break  off  my  marriage. 
She  said  she  would,  and  that  I  should  never  marry  any  one  else 
if  I  did  not  marry  her.  Rittea  advised  me  to  pay  no  attention  to 
what  she  said,  which  was  prophetic,  and  that  is  what  I  did  and 
what  I  must  do.  I  will  renounce  this  Rosenstin  female  from  my 
thoughts.  I  perceive  now  she  is  not  the  proper  sort  of  woman 
for  me  to  be  acquainted  with,  much  less  to  marry.  Yes,  a  woman 
who  loves,  either  loves  well  or  hates  hard,  like  a  mule  kicks.  I'll 
no  more  of  her." 

When  Millyard  met  Delarue  at  Johnnie's  he  gleefully  and  hu- 
morously recounted  the  episode  with  Bertha. 

"  You  must  not  tell  Miss  de  Ampbert  what  Bertha  said  about 
her,"  said  Mike,  dolefully. 

"  I  must  tell  Miss  de  Ampbert  about  the  woman  abusing  me, 
but  not  about  the  vile  language.  I  must  also  refrain  from  telling 
her  that  Bertha  said  she  is  an  octoroon.  That  would  break  the 
dear  woman's  heart.  Bertha's  language  about  Rittea  is  as  ab- 
surdly and  outrageously  false  as  it  would  be  for  her  to  sue  me  for 
breach  of  promise.  However,  Bertha  Rosenstin  cannot  keep  me 
from  marrying  Miss  de  Ampbert.  No  one  can  except  Miss  de- 
Ampbert  herself." 

"  O,  shucks !  Bertha  is  just  crazy  jealous.  That's  all  there  is  to 
it,"  said  Delarue,  as  he  ordered  another  bottle  of  "  champ." 

Millyard  accompanied  Miss  de  Ampbert  to  church ;  they  went 
in  her  carriage.  When  services  were  over  Miss  de  Ampbert  re- 
mained and  held  a  conversation  with  the  Rector.  She  arranged 
for  him  to  perform  a  marriage  ceremony  at  the  church  on  the  next 
Wednesday  at  high  noon. 


That  Awful  Bar-Sinister  Race.  149 

While  riding  back  to  her  home  from  church  Millyard  took  oc- 
casion to  relate  certain  features  of  the  Bertha  Rosenstin  abusing 
episode. 

"  What  else  did  she  say?  "  eagerly  inquired  Miss  de  Ampbert, 
she  seemed  to  know  intuitively  there  was  something  being  with- 
held.    Probably  Millyard  made  a  bad  mess  at  concealing  it. 

'  She  said:  'You  are  going  to  marry  that  Miss  de  Ampbert, 
are  you?  Reject  Bertha  Rosenstin?  I  will  sue  you  for  breach  of 
promise.  I  will  go  to  court  to-morrow  and  have  you  sent  to  the 
penitentiary.'  I  do  not  recall  all  she  did  say.  Mike  says  she  is 
crazy  jealous.  That  is  the  way  it  also  seems  to  me.  I  told  Mike 
there  was  but  one  person  who  could  prevent  me  from  marrying 
you,  and  that  person  was  you  yourself." 

1  Darling  Alpha,"  she  exclaimed.  'You  are  a  noble  man.  I 
have  had  presentiments.  But  now  I  have  them  no  longer.  I  shall 
be  yours  to  Eternity." 

Mr.  Millyard  did  not  see  or  think  of  the  future  only  as  it  con- 
cerned the  happiness  of  Rittea  de  Ampbert.     He  said  in  reply: 

"  Darling  Rittea,  if  I  could  love  more  than  I  did  I  now  love  you 
and  adore  you  more  than  ever." 

"  O,  goodness !  I  am  so  happy !  "  Looking  upward  without 
moving  her  head  she  closed  the  lids  over  her  beautiful  sparkling 
eyes  as  if  in  token  of  unreserved  submission  to  his  will. 

Arriving  at  her  home  she  insisted  that  Mr.  Millyard  come  in  the 
house. 

'  You  have  nothing  to  do  np-town.  If  you  have,  let  it  go  until 
to-morrow.  Please  come  in  and  remain  with  me  until  after 
dinner." 

"  I  cannot  resist  your  will  or  wish.  You  are  too  sweet  for  me. 
The  only  thing  that  stands  between  it  now  is  I  promised  Mike  to 
meet  him  at  Johnnie's  immediately  after  I  returned  from  church. 
1  fe  will  wait  there,  till  night  in  moping  laze  if  I  come  not." 

*  If  wine  is  what  you  want  I  have  all  kinds  and  brandies  too ; 
much  more  I  guess  than  Johnnie  has.  Oh,  I  tell  you.  Go  see 
Mike,  I  mean  Mr.  Delarue,  and  tell  him  that  I  say  for  him  to  come 
here  at  five  o'clock  and  dine  with  us.  Then  you  come  right  back ; 
take  the  carriage.  Sarah,  tell  the  coachman  to  bring  the  carriage 
back  to  the  front  and  take  Mr.  Millyard  up-town  and  bring  him 
back  here  again." 

"  I  can  return  inside  of  an  hour,"  said  Alpha. 


150  The  Lady  of  New  Orleans. 

"  Please  do  not  remain  very  long,"  pleaded  Rittea,  as  Milivard 
was  going  out. 

In  New  Orleans  on  Sunday,  cafes  and  saloons  are  operated  on 
the  United  States  plan,  the  open-door  policy,  the  same  as  on  any 
other  day. 


From  Beggar  to  French  Opera.  151 


CHAPTER  XXVI. 

FROM   BEGGAR  TO  FRENCH  OPERA. 

"  Well,  Mike,  old  boy,"  said  Millyard,  "  I  knew  you  would  be 
waiting  and  secured  respite  only  for  a  brief  period  in  order  not  to 
disappoint  you,  so  we  must  be  quick  in  what  we  say  and  do.  I 
left  my  lady's  carriage  at  the  St.  Charles  waiting  my  return." 

;<  First  and  foremost  I  must  mention  that  I  have  a  special 
pressing  invitation  from  her  for  you  to  come  and  dine  with  us  at 
five." 

"  Good,  by  thunder!  I  will  do  it,"  exclaimed  Delarue.  "  Here, 
waiter;  give  us  a  bottle,  quick." 

"  A  small  one,"  added  Millyard  quickly. 

Mr.  Millyard  lunched  with  Miss  de  Ampbert  and  they  enjoyed 
each  other's  society  during  the  afternoon.  When  Mr.  Delarue 
arrived  he  was  dressed  in  the  very  height  of  fashion.  His 
dandy  appearance  attracted  the  attention  of  both  Miss  de  Amp- 
bert and  Millyard. 

"  I  am  glad  you  have  come,"  said  Miss  de  Ampbert.  "  Mr. 
Millyard  seems  to  want  you  somewhere  near  him  all  the  time." 

"  I  hope  by  so  doing  he  does  not  excite  any  undue  feeling  in 
any  one,"  courteously  but  mischievously  said  Delarue.  "  I  am 
sure  I  like  to  be  with  him." 

"  But  you  must  not  prevent  him  from  seeing  about  other  af- 
fairs," retorted  Miss  de  Ampbert,  naively. 

"  By  Jove !  I  cannot  keep  him  away  from  you  without  lock 
and  key,  even  if  I  desired,"  replied  Delarue. 

She  looked  askance  at  Millyard  and  smiled. 

When  the  champagne  was  served  after  the  courses  at  dinner 
Mr.  Delarue  proposed  a  toast.     He  said : 

"  I  propose  the  health,  long  life  and  happiness  of  the  happiest 
couple  in  all  New  Orleans — present  company,  except  myself." 


152  The  Lady  of  New  Orleans. 

"  Clink  the  glasses !  "  exclaimed  Miss  de  Ampbert. 

"  And  repeat  the  delicious  quaff,"  said  Millyard,  who  then  pro- 
ceeded to  relate  an  anecdote  illustrating  Delarue's  exception. 

When  they  had  finished  the  second  draught — never,  however, 
drinking  more  than  half  of  the  wine  from  the  glasses  before  the 
steward,  the  tall,  straight,  stiff-necked,  spruce  Frenchman,  would 
fill  the  glasses  again — Miss  de  Ampbert  said : 

"  I  propose  a  toast  to  our  friend  and  guest.  May  he  live  long, 
continue  to  be  our  friend  through  life,  and  always  prosper." 

''  Suppose  we  make  that  a  bumper?  "  said  Millyard. 

The  good  old  butler  kept  the  glasses  filled. 

Presently,  it  being  his  turn,  Millyard  said : 

"  I  propose  a  toast  in  which  our  guest  will  I  believe  join  me 
heart  and  soul.  The  one  (emphasizing  "the")  above  all 
others ;  she  who  makes  our  hearts  so  glad,  and  gives  us  such  good 
cheer,  in  beauty,  voice  and  smile  and  dish  and  cup  unsurpassed ; 
she  who  is  so  radiant  in  goodness  and  loveliness,  our  fair,  charm- 
ing hostess." 

"We  will  have  to  drink  that  standing  and  bowing,"  said  Mr. 
Delarue,  rising  to  his  feet  while  Millyard  did  the  same,  Miss  de 
Ampbert  quickly  following  in  like  manner,  smiling  and  bowing 
in  return. 

The  steward  placed  a  wine-glass  of  French  brandy  at  each 
plate,  which  they  drank  and  then  repaired  to  the  parlors.  Con- 
versation ran  merry  for  a  while.  At  length  Delarue  excused  him- 
self on  the  ground  that : 

"  Two  mates  are  good  company  and  the  third  person  is  in  the 
way." 

"  I  guess  I  will  show  Mr.  Delarue  the  way  up-town,"  said  Mill- 
yard,  rising. 

"  O,  no,  don't  you  go,"  pleadingly  said  Miss  de  Ampbert,  em- 
phasizing "  you."  Addressing  Delarue  she  continued :  "  Mr. 
Delarue,  it  will  be  agreeable  if  you  will  please  come  back  and  go 
with  us  to  the  French  opera.  They  have  a  splendid  bill  to- 
night." 

'  If  you  really  desire  it  I  will  do  so,"  replied  Delarue. 

"  I  have  said  so.     I  wish  you  would,  please." 

"  You  will  contribute  to  the  pleasure,  Mike,  I  mean,  Mr.  De- 
larue," added  Millyard. 

"  All  right  then,  I  will  come."  Mike  had  evidently  hesitated 
before  accepting  the  invitation  in  order  to  discover  whether  it 


From  Beggar  to  French  Opera.  153 

would  be  agreeable  to  Millyard  At  the  last,  however,  it  was  de- 
cided that  Alpha  should  go  and  return  with  Mike. 

The  trio  went  to  the  French  opera  in  Miss  de  Ampbert's 
landau  and  occupied  her  box. 

Returning  to  her  home  they  partook  of  wine  and  a  hot  lunch. 
As  Millyard  and  Delarue  were  about  to  depart  Miss  de  Ampbert 
suggested : 

'  You  must  come  here  to-morrow  immediately  after  you  are 
freed  of  the  charge.     I  shall  await  your  coming." 

Millyard  responded  to  the  effect  that  his  heart  was  set  upon  it. 

While  they  were  walking  up  the  street,  Mike  said : 

"  Alpha,  that  woman  is  your  goddess  and  you  are  her  god.  She 
loves  you  nigh  to  distraction." 

'It  is  deliciously  sweet;  don't  you  think  so,  Mike?" 

'Yes;  I  wooed  once,  and  won.  But  my  sweet  wife  died,"  re- 
plied Mike,  sorrowfully.  "  I  was  left  alone.  It  was  then  I  com- 
menced going  down.  I  have  a  room  at  the  residence  of  my  mar- 
ried sister.  Her  husband  would  never  do  anything  else  for  me, 
even  when  I  was  down.  But  I  suppose  he  had  as  much  as  he 
could  do  to  take  care  of  his  own  family.  He  has  five  children. 
Well,  I  really  did  not  want  him  to  do  anything  for  me,  only  to  let 
me  roost  there  when  I  wanted  to,  until  I  could  some  day  get  a 
start  again.  Now,  that  I  have  a  start  I  shall  pay  him  rent,  though 
I  shall  be  there  but  little  if  any  of  my  time." 

Arriving  at  the  St.  Charles  hotel,  Mike  asked :  "  How  will  it 
do  to  nightcap  before  going  to  our  room?     I  feel  sad." 

'  We  have  night-capped  with  that  French  brandy ;  but  if  you 
feel  sad,  Mike,  I  suppose  it  may  serve  to  cheer  you,  whether  I 
can  or  not."  • 

Being  in  their  room  preparing  to  retire  in  bed  Delarue  burst  out 
suddenly : 

"  From  a  street  beggar  to  a  rich  lady's  French  Opera  box  in  ten 
days!  By  thunder!  Ain't  that  rolling?  Blast  that  button! 
It's  off — and  with  her  too — the  one  that  was  so  exclusive.  You 
don't  know  how  humiliating  it  is  to  be  a  beggar." 

"  No,  I  never  tried  it,  Mike,"  interrupted  Millyard. 

"  I  hope  you  will  never  have  to,"  retorted  Mike.  "  It  pains 
me;  it  racks  me;  it  stirs  my  blood;  it  cows  my  very  soul  and  har- 
rows every  nerve  to  meet  a  man  of  whom  I  have  begged  and  been 
refused.  I  will  never  beg  another  cent  if  I  starve  to  death  in  the 
midst  of  plenty.     If  Miss  de  Ampbert  had  known  that  ten  days 


i54  The  Lady  of  New  Orleans. 

ago  I  begged  on  the  streets  of  New  Orleans  she  would  not  ever 
have  taken  me  with  her  into  her  private  box  at  the  French  Opera 
house,  although  she  knew  that  my  father  was  once  wealthy." 

"  Yes,  but  she  did  know  it,"  retorted  Millyard.  "  I  told  her  all 
about  you  and  about  our  first  meeting." 

"  Well,  well,  thunderation.     I  love  her  myself." 

"  But  you  see,  Mike,  she  likes  you  on  my  account,"  suggested 
Alpha. 

"  O,  yes,  yes,  yes;  I  know  that,"  returned  Mike  reflectively. 
"  Well  then,  I  love  her  on  your  account,  because  she  loves  you  and 
you  are  going  to  marry  her.  There  is  not  another  woman  who 
would  take  me  to  the  opera  with  her  under  the  circumstances." 

"  Right  you  are,  Mike.     There  is  not  another  woman  like  her." 

"  I  coincide  with  you  there,  too." 

"  Well,  to-morrow  will  tell  the  tale,"  said  Millyard,  dolefully. 

"  And  it  will  be  all  right,  a  tale  adorned  with  peace  and  joy. 
Put  out  the  gas." 

"  All  right,  but  that  brings  up  another  subject,"  said  Millyard. 
'  Your  expression  about  the  transition  in  ten  days  from  a  street 
beggar  to  be  the  escort  of  a  fine  lady  to  the  French  opera  reminds 
me.  Look  in  your  mind's  eye,  see  that  assemblage  of  people. 
Tell  me,  are  each  and  every  one  of  them  going  to  heaven?  If 
not,  which  one  of  them  do  you  think  will  be  left?  " 

"  Well,  I  see  in  my  mind's  eye  that  sleek,  fat,  chubby  man  with 
the  round,  clean-shaved  face,  black  derby  hat,  black  cravat,  busi- 
ness suit,  sack  coat,  and  withal  a  fairly  wealthy  man.  You  can 
see  him  on  the  street  every  day  except  Sunday,  then  you  can  see 
him  at  church.  I  think  he  is  absolutely  sure  to  miss  entering  the 
portals  of  heaven." 

'  Why,  what's  the  matter  with  him?  "  asked  Millyard. 

"  He  looks  all  right  enough,  it  is  true,"  replied  Mike.  "  But  he 
got  his  puny  brother,  who  was  diseased  and  ready  to  die,  to  in- 
sure his  life  very  heavily,  nearly  a  hundred  thousand,  and  then  to 
commit  suicide.  His  brother  left  a  will  appointing  him  executor. 
He  then  set  about  and  swindled  his  brother's  widow  and  her  two 
children,  his  nephew  and  his  niece,  out  of  the  whole  amount,  ex- 
cept two  thousand  dollars.  He  held  out  to  the  widow  that  she 
would  get  nothing  if  he  was  to  divulge  how  her  husband  met  his 
death." 

"  Do  you  see  any  others  ?  " 


'  There  is  Villeguini." 


From  Beggar  to  French  Opera.  155 

"  O,  he  can  repent,  reform,  as  the  vogue  goes  and  be  forgiven," 
said  Alpha.     "  All  reformers  go  to  heaven,  don't  they?  " 

"  Thunder  and  lightning!  "  whooped  Mike.  ;'  If  they  do,  no 
wonder  the  whole  kit  are  on  the  exodus  reformward.  Who  is  it 
that  does  not  reform,  or  say  they  do?  Reform?  Yes.  That  is 
as  easy  as  turtles  sliding  off  logs  into  the  water.  But  to  repent ; 
none  but  a  true  repenter  can  be  a  true  reformer,  and  it  is  awful 
hard  for  a  true  repenter  to  fully  reform.  The  thief  yelled  '  Stop 
the  thief.'  The  poor  fellow  who  had  committed  the  sin  or  statute 
crime,  cried  out  in  agony  and  repentance,  '  I  have  reformed.' 
Straightway  several  persons  took  it  up  and  proclaimed  that  they 
had  '  reformed.'  The  crowd  of  people  on  the  other  corner  took 
up  the  refrain,  and  such  a  wholesale  lot  of  howling  '  Reformers  ' 
was  never  known.  It  seemed  that  every  person  had  been  doing 
something  from  which  they  had  '  reformed.'  Yet,  look,  individu- 
ally they  had  done  nothing  wrong.  They  only  joined  the  Reform 
Howlers'  Club  in  order  to  set  an  example." 

"  Mike,  you  would  be  excellent  timber  for  a  dominie.  Your 
views  are  theologically  orthodox.  I  try  to  keep  in  mind  the  first 
verse  of  the  seventh  chapter  of  Matthew.  Still  somehow  I  can- 
not refrain  from  frequently  thinking  of  some  men  that,  should  I 
get  to  heaven  and  find  them  there,  I  would  get  in  a  corner  and 
flock  by  myself.     Which  side  do  you  want  to  sleep  on  ?  " 

"  I  think  as  you  do  about  those  things.  I  don't  care  which  side. 
Tumble  in  ;  I'll  put  out  the  gas.  None  but  the  brave  deserve  the 
fair,  none  but  the  rich  can  have  red  hair,"  exclaimed  Mike  as  the 
gas  was  extinguished.  Adding,  as  he  tumbled  on  the  bed : 
"  Over  there  is,  h-e-r,  her;  add,  as  we  English  say,  a  he,  and  she 
is  here." 

"  The  '  ludicrosity  '  of  that  remark  is  so  transparent  that  I  see 
through  it  at  once,"  retorted  Millyard,  in  conclusion. 

Their  hotel  life,  though  limited  to  lodging  and  breakfasts  was 
aiding  to  cement  the  pleasant  relations  between  Alpha  Millyard 
and  Mike  Delarue,  as  can  readily  be  discerned. 


156  The  Lady  of  New  Orleans. 


CHAPTER  XXVII. 

PREPARING    FOR    THE    WEDDING. 

Monday  morning  at  nine  o'clock  Millyard  and  Delarue  were  at 
the  law  office  of  Judge  Cotton  discussing  the  situation,  and  Judge 
Cotton  decided  upon  a  line  of  action.  At  ten  o'clock  they  were 
at  the  court-room.  The  grand  jury  was  being  organized.  Half 
an  hour  later  the  assistant  prosecuting  attorney  came  to  Judge 
Cotton  and  said : 

"  The  grand  jury  returns  no  true  bill  against  your  client,  Mr. 
Alpha  Millyard.  I  will  ask  for  an  order  to  have  him  discharged 
and  the  surety  on  his  bond  released." 

It  was  not  long  before  this  was  done,  the  Judge  presiding  re- 
marking :  "  It  seems  to  the  court  that  the  accused  in  this  case 
has  good  cause  for  action  against  some  person,  or  persons." 

Mr.  Millyard  stood  well  at  the  bar  among  those  who  knew  him. 

"  If  your  honor  please,  I  am  looking  into  that  feature  of  the 
case,"  were  the  remarks  of  Judge  Cotton. 

Mr.  Millyard  proceeded  as  rapidly  as  the  man  possibly  could  to 
the  mansion  of  Miss  de  Ampbert.  Dashing  into  the  house  past 
the  butler,  Millyard  yelled :  "  Rittea !  "  Miss  de  Ampbert  came 
rushing  down-stairs. 

"  I  am  clear!  "  Millyard  shouted.     "  I  am  clear!     I  am  free!  " 

Miss  de  Ampbert  threw  her  arms  around  his  neck  in  an  ecstasy 
of  joy  and  resting  her  face  upon  his  shoulder,  softly  sobbed: 

"  I  knew  you  would  be,  but  I  am  so  glad." 

Raising  her  head  Mr.  Millyard  placed  a  hand  on  each  side  of 
her  fair  face  and  kissing,  then  caressing  her,  said :        , 

"  Darling,  you  are  shedding  tears ;  give  me  your  handkerchief 
and  let  me  wipe  them  from  your  cheeks." 

"  They  are  tears  of  joy  for  you,  on  your  account,  and  mine." 
She  said  this  in  that  superbly  submissive  manner  which  indicates 
resignation  and  reliance. 

"  Yes,  sweetie,  it  is  consoling  to  know  that  they  are.     Come  in 


Preparing  for  the  Wedding.  157 

the  parlor  and  let  me  tell  you  all  about  it."  Mr.  Millyard  saying 
thus,  led  the  way. 

He  soon  unfolded  to  her  what  had  transpired  at  the  court ;  after 
which  she  ordered  the  butler  to  bring  them  a  bottle  of  wine.  As 
they  drank  the  wine  she  disclosed  to  him  her  business  plans. 

She  told  him  not  to  buy  anything  for  himself  but  wait  until 
thev  got  to  Paris.  "  I  will  now  tell  you  all  about  my  plans  so  that 
you  will  understand  them.  I  will  get  my  money  and  my  business 
affairs  arranged  to-day  and  to-morrow.  We  shall  not  come 
back  here  under  three  years,  if  then.  We  will  take  my  maid  and 
our  steward  with  us.  He  wants  to  see  his  people ;  besides,  I  wish 
him  to  attend  to  our  baggage  and  do  chores.  I  will  have  the 
housekeeper  and  the  chef  and  the  chambermaid  remain  here. 
The  others  and  the  horses  I  shall  send  to  the  sugar  plantation  on 
the  Laforouche.  Oh,  yes ;  I  must  arrange  with  my  real-estate 
agents  about  the  rents.  I  wrote  my  housekeeper  in  Paris  last  Sat- 
urday that  I  would  sail  on  this  Wednesday,  and  to  have  the  house 
ready,  as  I  would  have  company.  O,  I  will  have  everything  ar- 
ranged.    But  you  must  not  let  me  forget  anything." 

"  Yes,  but  you  see,  darling,  I  do  not  know  of  what  to  remind 
you." 

"  I  will  tell  you  all  about  it  this  afternoon ;  you  see  I  have  to 
think." 

"  Yes,  and  in  order  to  allow  you  to  do  so  I  will  go  and  begin 
arranging  my  affairs." 

"  Close  them  out  here  entirely.  You  do  not  want  any  business. 
Here  is  a  ring  which  I  purchased  for  you."  So  saying  she  took 
from  one  of  her  fingers  a  ring  set  with  a  large  cross  of  big  dia- 
monds and  placed  it  on  his  finger  saying:  'I  watched  your 
finger  to  see  what  size  would  be  required  for  it." 

"  Gracious !  "  exclaimed  Millyard.  "  How  stupid  I  have  been. 
In  my  great  joy,  also  the  anxiety  about  my  case,  I  have  not 
thought  of  procuring  a  ring  for  you.  I  must  get  one  immedi- 
ately." 

"  Do  not  get  an  expensive  ring,  I  already  have  so  many.  But 
of  course  one  from  you  will  be  more  appreciated  than  all  of  them. 
You  must  return  here  for  dinner.  I  shall  write  notes  to  Judge 
Cotton  and  Mr.  Delarue  inviting  them  to  our  marriage.  Be  sure 
to  come  back  and  dine  with  me." 

A  woman's  will  wins  the  way. 

Delarue  was  not  at  Johnnie's ;  so  Millyard  left  a  note  for  him 


158  The  Lady  of  New  Orleans. 

in  which  he  appointed  a  time  for  their  meeting.  He  then  went 
to  his  office  and  taking  from  his  desk  what  papers  he  wanted  car- 
ried them  to  his  boarding-house  and  placed  them  in  his  trunk 
with  his  clothing.  He  returned  down-town  and  eventually  met 
Mike  at  Johnnie's.  They  had  lunch,  'alf  an'  'alf  and  a  bottle  of 
"  champ,"  as  Mike  persisted  in  calling  champagne. 

"  I  collected  two  hundred  and  ten  more  for  you,  and  here  she 
are,"  said  Delarue,  producing  a  roll  of  money. 

''  Mike,  you  are  the  best  collector  I  ever  knew.  I  want  you  for 
a  partner.  I  will  set  you  up  in  the  banking  business  sometime," 
said  Millyard,  prophetically.  "  I  cannot  collect.  I  never  could 
ask  for  money  even  when  due  me,  and  never  get  it  unless  paid  on 
the  spot.  In  that  regard  I  am  as  you  say  you  are  about  begging. 
Mike,  you  must  keep  this  money." 

'  Never !  I  will  do  no  such  thing.  There  it  is,  take  it !  "  With 
that  Delarue  flung  the  money  on  the  table. 

"  I  must  get  a  ring,  two  of  them,"  said  Millyard.  "  This 
money  will  probably  pay  for  them ;  come  and  -assist  me  in  select- 
ing them.  I  had  forgotten  about  a  wedding-ring  until  she  gave 
me  this  one  this  morning." 

Mr.  Delarue's  father  started  out  in  life  as  a  disciple  of  Strath- 
mees  the  Greek,  who  was  a  descendant  of  a  Hebrew  and  the  patron 
saint  of  jewelers,  therefore,  Mike,  who  was  of  French  descent, 
was  supposed  to  know  something  about  jewelry. 

Millyard  had  observed  the  size  of  Miss  de  Ampbert's  finger, 
so  the  rings  were  readily  selected,  and  Millyard  directed  the 
words,  "  Alpha  to  Rittea,"  engraved  on  the  inside  of  the  one  he 
intended  for  the  wedding-ring.  From  the  jewelry-store  they  went 
to  see  Judge  Cotton. 

'  Mr.  Millyard,"  said  the  Judge,  "  you  barely  escaped  a  punish- 
ment that  would  have  been  absolutely  undeserved  and  an  outrage. 
They  had  fully  made  up  their  plot  to  send  you  to  the  penitentiary, 
so  I  have  since  learned.  If  it  had  not  been  for  Miss  de  Ampbert 
and  our  friend  Mr.  Delarue  they  would  have  succeeded." 

"  And  you,  my  dear  Judge,"  quickly  interposed  Millyard. 

"  They  had  bribed  witnesses  to  prove  the  case  against  you,"  the 
good  old  man  continued.  "  They  had  that  big  longshoreman  and 
another  fellow  of  his  kind  and  that  detective  Volney.  It  was  a 
good  thing  for  you  that  Miss  de  Ampbert  came  in  your  path  and 
silenced  Villeguini." 

"  Ah,  my  dear  Judge,  I  am  too  well  aware  of  that.    I  know  not 


Preparing  for  the  Wedding.  159 

.how  I  shall  ever  prove  my  gratitude.  But,  to  change  the  subject, 
I  am  ready  to  pay  you  that  twenty-five  dollars." 

"  Let  that  rest,  Mr.  Millyard,"  quickly  replied  Judge  Cotton. 
"  Use  your  money  for  your  wedding." 

"  Miss  de  Ampbert  suggested  that  she  intended  to  write  you  a 
note  of  invitation  to  our  marriage,  which  is  to  take  ulace  at  the 
Episcopal  Mission  Church  Wednesday  at  high  noon.  I  trust 
you  will  do  me  the  nonor  to  be  present.  I  will  send  a  carriage  here 
for  you  and  Mr.  Delarue,  the  only  persons  I  shall  invite.  Miss  de 
Ampbert  will  have  only  one  lady  friend.  So  you  will  have  to  be 
the  witnesses." 

The  Judge  agreed  and  the  details  were  arranged. 

"  Mike,"  said  Millyard,  after  leaving  Judge  Cotton's  office, 
"  can  you  see  that  man  Villeguini,  also  Bertha,  and  try  and  ascer- 
tain if  anything  more  is  going  to  happen  to  me?  I  have  pre- 
sentiments they  are  plotting  against  me  still.  I  am  going  to  Miss 
de  Ampbert's  after  I  get  the  rings."     Delarue  assented. 

"  What  lovely  rings !  "  exclaimed  Miss  de  Ampbert  when  Alpha 
produced  them.  "  And  they  both  have  our  names  in  them.  You 
made  most  excellent  choice.  You  are  a  connoisseur  of  rings. 
This  one  is  our  wedding-ring." 

"  Any  way  you  say,"  replied  Millyard.  "  I  will  have  to  hand  it 
to  the  Rector  and  he  will  place  it  on  your  finger  and  pronounce  the 
words  which  shall  make  us  man  and  wife  for  life ;  yea,  Eternity. 
If  not,  marriage  were  a  mockery." 

"  I  have  been  out  and  attended  to  much  business,"  she  said, 
"  but  hurried  to  be  here  when  you  returned." 

'.'  I  am  afraid  you  were  too  much  hurried." 

"  No,  no,  no ;  I  will  go  again  early  in  the  morning  and  remain 
until  the  time  in  the  afternoon  for  you  to  come." 

"  How  sweet.  Timing  yourself  to  me  already.  Mr.  Delarue 
has  gone  to  see  Mr.  Villeguini,  also  Miss  Bertha." 

"  He  need  not  bother  about  Mr.  Villeguini.  I  frightened  him 
badly  enough." 

After  dinner  they  took  a  drive  on  Esplanade  boulevard,  on 
Rampart  and  other  streets  and  across  the  bayou. 

Upon  returning  home  from  the  opera  that  night  they  partook 
of  a  hot  repast  and  drank  some  wine.  Millyard  refused  the 
proffered  use  of  her  carriage  and  insisted  on  walking  to  the 
hotel. 

He  went  by  Johnnie's  and  found  Delarue  half  asleep. 


i6o  The  Lady  of  New  Orleans. 

"Ah,  ha,  getting  ahead  of  me  on  sleep,  are  you?"  cheerfully 
exclaimed  Millyard. 

"  Looks  like  I  was  handicapping  you  on  that  line,"  Mike  jocu- 
larly replied.  "  Here,  waiter,  a  bottle  of  '  champ.'  Was  the 
charmer  pleased  with  the  rings  ?  " 

"  Delighted,"  answered  Alpha.  "  She  is  the  most  amiable 
woman  I  ever  knew.  She  is  invariably  delighted  with  everything 
I  say  or  do.  She  is  modeled  in  the  making  for  an  angel.  What 
did  you  find  out  from  those  people  ?  " 

"  I  knew  you  were  lovesick,  but  you  have  it  the  worst  I  ever 
knew.  But  I  don't  blame  you,"  said  Mike.  '  Villeguini  was 
gruff.  You  have  seen  Patience  standing  by  the  side  of  a  monu- 
ment, named  after  her,  wiien  she  was  disappointed?  Well,  Ville- 
guini looked  that  way.  He  condescended  to  say  that  he  was  sorry 
he  had  given  me  that  five  hundred  dollars.  Think  of  it !  The 
gall  and  wormwood.  Picture  him.  He  looked  more  forlorn  than 
the  last  man  in  the  rear  of  the  whole  retreating  army.  He  is  a 
changed  man,  entirely  reticent.  He  was  jostled  when  I  told  him 
he  must  see  Bertha  and  make  her  let  you  alone  until  you  can  get 
ready  and  leave  town,  as  I  had  paid  you  four  hundred  dollars  to 
leave  by  the  end  of  the  week.  But  he  would  not  say  what  he 
would  do.  I  did  not  see  Bertha.  She  was  not  at  home,  as  the 
servants  say.     Down  at  Aunt  Jane's  probably." 

"  I  hope  Aunt  Jane  will  not  tell  her  anything  more  about  my 
prospective  marriage." 

"  Aunt  Jane  has  a  weather  eye  for  Miss  Rittea.  Aunt  Jane  is 
very  discreet." 

Tuesday  morning  Delarue  again  went  collecting  for  Millyard, 
who  was  at  his  boarding-house  making  ready  for  his  marriage 
and  departure  from  New  Orleans.  Having  no  other  use  for  his 
desk  and  books  Millyard  gave  them  to  Mr.  Frank.  About  one 
o'clock  he  returned  to  town  and  found  Delarue  at  Johnnie's. 
They  had  their  wine  and  lunch  as  they  usually  had  during  the 
last  two  weeks  or  more. 

"  This  is  the  last  time  we  will  lunch  together,  Mike,"  said 
Alpha. 

'  Yes,  it  is  sad  to  me.     Yet  I  am  glad  on  your  account." 

"  I  am,  I  guess,  as  other  men  have  been  and  ever  will  be,  all 
expectation  and  full  to  the  brim  with  hope." 

"  By  the  way,  Alpha,  I  got  my  place  on  Gravier  street.  I  saw 
the  firm  this  morning.     I  told  them  I  could  not  commence  to- 


Preparing  for  the  Wedding.  161 

morrow,  as  they  wanted  me  to  do,  but  would  be  there  sure  early- 
Thursday  morning." 

"  That  is  good !  I  am  glad !  Xow,  I  suppose  we  will  have  to 
take  two  small  bottles." 

"  I  went  to  see  Aunt  Jane  again,"  put  in  Mike.  "  Bertha  had 
been  there  nearly  all  the  morning.  She  vows  you  shall  not  marry 
Miss  de  Ampbert.  Aunt  Jane  tried  to  put  her  off  the  track  that 
you  are  to  marry  by  telling  her  that  you  are  to  leave  town  imme- 
diately. I  believe  Bertha  will  shoot  you  or  Miss  de  Ampbert,  or 
attempt  it,  if  she  knows  when  and  where  you  are  to  be  married." 
'  Mike,  come  go  with  me  to  Miss  de  Ampbert's,"  quickly  spoke 
Millyard.  "  A  woman  who  faints  at  seeing  a  pistol  would  scarcely 
shoo't  to  kill." 

"  All  right,"  he  replied,  rising.  "  But  I  will  not  remain  for 
dinner." 

"  She  will  let  you  know  about  that." 

"  Come  with  me  to  a  jewelry-store,"  said  Delarue,  "  and  let  me 
get  her  a  wedding  present.  I  am  feeling  rich  since  I  have  a 
legitimate  business  situation." 

"  That  is  a  good  idea,"  said  Millyard. 

Delarue  picked  out  a  handsome  silver  toilet  set  and  had  en- 
graved on  the  case,  "  From  M.  De  Larue  to  Madame  A.  Mill- 
yard." 

'Heigho!  You  are  French  also?"  remarked  Millyard,  glee- 
fully. 

"  Yes ;  like  any  American  could  be,"  retorted  Mike. 

It  was  about  four  o'clock  when  the  two  happy  men  entered  Miss 
de  Ampbert's  parlors. 

"  On  time !  Ah,  Mr.  Delarue,  also.  I  am  glad  you  have  come. 
Please  be  seated.  I  have  just  been  getting  in  and  out  the  carriage 
all  day.  I  never  had  lunch  until  a  few  minutes  ago,  since  I  got 
home.  But  I  did  much  business.  I  want  some  wine  and  you  gen- 
tlemen must  join  me."     She  rang  the  little  bell  and  ordered  it. 

"  I  have  here  something  for  you,  Miss  de  Ampbert  Or,  not 
exactly  for  Miss  de  Ampbert,"  said  Delarue,  with  an  accent  on 
Miss,  as  he  produced  the  toilet  set,  as  the  jeweler  called  it,  and 
handed  it  to  her. 

She  quickly  glanced  it  over  and,  blushing,  laughed,  saving: 

"  From  M.  De  Larue  to  Madame  A.  Millyard.  Don't  that 
sound  nice?  Many,  very  many,  thanks,  Monsieur  De  Larue. 
This  is  about  the  only  wedding  present  I  will  receive,  unless  I 
ii 


1 62  The  Lady  of  New  Orleans. 

get  some  in  Paris.  We  have  invited  you,  also  Judge  Cotton,  to 
be  at  our  marriage  to-morrow.  You  must  come  and  be  the  wit- 
nesses for  us." 

'  We  are  coming.  That  is  all  arranged,"  replied  De  Larue. 
Looking  at  the  casket  containing  the  toilet  set,  he  continued :  "  I 
trust  you  will  never  need  it." 

"  Beautiful  sentiment,"  she  exclaimed.  '  This  is  very  nice  of 
you.  I  appreciate  it  very  much,  especially  because  you  have 
been  such  a  good  friend  to  Mr.  Millyard." 

"  He  has  been  a  better  one  to  me,"  replied  Delarue.  "  But 
I  am  proud  enough  and  repaid  to  know  that  you  appreciate  my 
poor  present.     Now  I  must  go." 

"  Can  you  not  remain  and  dine  with  us  ?  "  she  asked. 

"  I  hardly  think  I  can,"  answered  Delarue.  '  Two's  a  pile 
and  three's  a  heap,  as  log-rollers  say." 

"  If  that  is  your  only  excuse,  you  must  remain,"  she  said. 

"  When  you  say  I  must,  that  settles  it,  as  Mr.  Millyard  says." 

"  Mr.  Delarue  has  secured  himself  a  fine  position  in  a  whole- 
sale grocer  house  on  Gravier  street,"  interposed  Millyard.  Nearly 
all  the  stores  on  Gravier  street  were  wholesale  groceries. 

"  I  am  glad  of  that,"  proclaimed  Miss  de  Ampbert.  "  Later 
we  must  get  Mr.  Delarue  a  position  with  us  somewhere."  She 
emphasized  "  us." 

Millyard  incidentally  remarked  that  Delarue  and  himself  had 
had  their  last  lunch  together  unless  they  took  another  that  night 
at  Johnnie's.  To  which  she  replied :  ;>  No,  you  will  both  take 
lunch  with  me." 

"Eh,  hegh !     That  settles  that,  too!"  exclaimed  Delarue. 

"  And  you  must  also  dine  with  us  to-morrow,"  quickly  added 
Miss  de  Ampbert  to  Delarue. 

Soon  after  dinner  Delarue  excused  himself  and  took  his  de- 
parture. 

"  1  think  I  have  everything  arranged  now,"  began  Miss  de 
Ampbert  in  explanation  of  her  plans.  "  You  must  have  your 
baggage  sent  to  the  steamer  at  four  o'clock.  I  will  have  about  ten 
or  twelve  trunks  and  some  satchels  and  a  few  bundles.  The 
steward  will  attend  to  them ;  he  will  be  there  to  receive  your  bag- 
gage. He  must  be  here  in  time  to  attend  to  dinner.  I  drew  five 
thousand  dollars  from  the  bank,  which  I  will  give  to  you  to-mor- 
row for  our  expenses.  I  receive  something  near  twenty-five  thou- 
sand francs  every  month  in  Paris.    But  I  can  draw  on  them  here 


Preparing  for  the  Wedding.  163 

for  money  if  we  need  it.  I  signed  deeds  to-day  to  you  for  the  row 
of  buildings  of  mine  on  Canal  street  and  to  the  sugar  plantation, 
for  which  my  father  paid  one  hundred  and  ninety  thousand  dol- 
lars ;  the  sugar-house  alone  cost  that  amount.  I  had  my  stock  in 
Mr.  Villeguini's  bank  transferred  to  your  name.  He  was  aston- 
ished, but"  I  told  him  nothing.  I  have  other  property  and  stocks 
here  besides  this  which  I  give  to  you.  I  intended  to  give  you  my 
Street  Railway  stocks.  I  knew  I  would  forget  something.  But  I 
think  I  can  write  a  note  and  send  the  steward  in  the  morning. 
Now,  you  see,  I  am  going  to  be  your  wife." 

Mr.  Millyard  remained  until  after  eleven  o'clock,  promising  to 
return  at  eleven  o'clock  next  morning.  She  had  informed  him, 
however,  that  she  had  engaged  a  florist  to  decorate  the  church 
and  that  he  would  also  decorate  her  parlors  and  the  dining-room 
early  next  morning. 

Mr.  Millyard  found  Delarue  at  Johnnie's. 

"Mike,  what  do  you  think?  My  darling  affianced  has  made 
me  deeds  to  a  large  quantity  of  her  property  and  all  her  stock  in 
Villeguini's  bank." 

"  Mr.  Millyard,"  said  Delarue,  "  she  will  make  you  as  good  a 
wife  as  a  man  ever  had.  I  know  her.  I  know  all  about  her.  You 
see,  I  am  from  French  ancestry  also.  De  and  Larue,  as  you  Eng- 
lish would  say.  But  it  is  pronounced  as  if  spelled  d-e-a-1-a-r-u-e, 
De  Larue.  My  father  and  her  father  were  great  friends.  Her 
father  made  money  where  other  men  lost.  He  was  exceedingly 
wealthy.  Nearly  the  whole  of  his  vast  fortune  was  deeded  and 
transferred  to  Ritt<  and  another  daughter  in  Paris  before  he 
died.  His  grandfather  had  been  a  friend  of  Napoleon  Bonaparte 
while  he  was  yet  a  corporal,  and  subsequently  furnished  his  com- 
missariat while  he  was  at  his  zenith.  It  was  thus  that  the  grand- 
father laid  the  foundation  for  his  grandson's  tremendous  fortune. 
This  Frenchman,  Rittea's  father,  was  a  worthy  successor.  He 
turned  everything  into  money." 

"  Has  she  a  sister  or  half-sister  in  Paris?  "  Mr.  Millyard  may 
have  been  impetuous  and  too  previous  in  asking  this  question  of 
Delarue  and  not  let  Rittea  tell  him  first,  but  it  was  a  new  life  to 
him. 

"  You  will  find  out  about  that  when  you  get  over  there.  I  guess 
she  desires  to  take  you  by  surprise." 

"  I  see,  I  see.  That  is  just  exactly  the  case,"  responded  Mill- 
yard.     "  I  have  noticed  she  will  not  tell  anything  of  a  dispropor- 


164  The  Lady  of  New  Orleans. 

tionate  nature  until  the  acme  of  the  incident  presents  itself,  in 
writing,  as  it  were.  A  delicious  surprise,  so  agreeable  to  the 
average  female." 

"  No,  she  will  not  tell  anything  about  it,"  quietly  added  De- 
larue,  "  until  the  proper  time.  You  are  quite  right  in  depending 
c:i  that." 

'It  is  a  trait  that  works  pleasurablv  on  both  sides,  to  both 
parties,"  said  Alpha.     "  It  is  by  no  means  displeasing." 

'  This  is  my  last  night  with  you,  eh?  Mike?  "  remarked  Mill- 
yard,  as  they  were  preparing  to  get  in  bed  at  the  St.  Charles 
hotel  that  night. 

'  That  induces  me  to  think,"  replied  Mike,  rather  sorrow- 
fully, as  he  sat  no  in  bed  with  the  covering  half  pulled  on  him. 
"  Ring  the  bell  and  let  us  have  another." 

"  Mike,  we  have  had  enough,"  pleaded  Millyard. 

"  O,  shucks  !     One  more." 

"  Not  to-night,  Mike ;  I  have  quit  to  stay  quit,  only  on  special 
occasions." 

"  Good,"  cried  Mike,  in  a  fit  of  laughter.  "  I  join  you  in  the 
chorus.  No  more  for  me  after  you  are  gone.  I  am  going  into 
business." 

"  Shift  over  on  the  back  side  there,"  said  Millyard. 

"  Good  enough,"  replied  Mike.  "  You  shift  out  the  gas.  How 
are  you  going  to  sleep  ?  "  Shifting  the  wind  had  been  the  refrain 
of  a  story  Millyard  had  told. 

"  In  dreamland  with  my  eyes  shut." 

"  I  wonder  what  has  become  of  your  Hebrew-Irishman  ?  "  sud- 
denly asked  Mike. 

"  He  will  turn  up  sometime,  surely  and  shorely.  If  not  he  will 
have  to  remain  turned  down.  I  guess  he  never  saw  Bertha,"  re- 
plied Alpha. 

There  was  surely  a  Divinity  shaping  the  ends  of  Alpha  Mill- 
yard  and  Mike  Delarue.  No  two  men  ever  became  warmed  to 
each  other  as  quickly  as  they.  It  was  like  young  ducks  leaving 
a  chicken-hen  mother  and  taking  to  water,  so  easy.  Mike  was 
beginning  to  grow  fat,  fleshy ;  so  was  Millyard.  Such  is  natural. 
Their  altered  conditions  admitted  and  approved  of  it. 


Awful  Tragedy  Averted.  165 


CHAPTER  XXVIII. 


AWFUL    TRAGEDY    AVERTED. 


Just  as  Delarue  was  parting  from  Millyard  in  front  of  the  St. 
Charles  hotel  that  eventful  Wednesday  morning  Miss  de  Amp- 
bert's  coachman  drove  up  with  her  carriage  and  horses.  The 
polite  coachman  respectfully  informed  Mr.  Millyard  that  Miss  de 
Ampbert  had  instructed  him  to  place  himself  and  the  team  at  his 
disposal.  He  also  stated  that  she  desired  him  to  be  at  her  resi- 
dence by  eleven  o'clock. 

This  was  somewhat  of  a  relief  to  Millyard  in  his  frame  of 
mind.  He  had  been  perturbed.  Of  course,  he  had  a  right  to  be 
so,  but  he  knew  not  the  cause.  It  is  well  to  grease  the  axle  of 
thought  and  make  it  roll,  be  the  road  smooth  or  rugged  and  rocky. 
It  is  like  the  toboggan,  easy,  or  a  human  catastrophe  occurs  as  an- 
other incident  along  the  line  in  life. 

Mr.  Millyard  folded  his  tent,  as  it  were.  Requesting  the  kind 
and  generous-hearted  Mr.  Frank  to  have  his  trunk  and  other 
things  at  the  steamer  by  four  o'clock  and  bidding  him  and  his 
whole-souled  frou  and  all  the  family  adieu,  Millyard  was  soon 
again  with  Delarue  at  Johnnie's.  Mike  was  standing  on  the  ban- 
quet waiting  for  him  when  he  alighted  from  the  carriage. 

When  they  were  parting  Millyard  handed  Delarue  a  twenty- 
dollar  bill  and  requested  him  to  secure  a  carriage  for  Judge  Cot- 
ton and  himself  and  be  sure  to  be  at  the  church  a  few  minutes 
before  twelve. 

Mr.  Millyard  had  been  in  the  parlor  only  a  few  minutes  before 
Miss  de  Ampbert  made  her  appearance  gorgeously  gowned  in 
the  richest  of  wedding  apparel.  After  greetings  and  a  gallant 
salute  by  each,  Miss  de  Ampbert  inquired :  "  Do  I  look  all 
right  ?  " ' 

'  Perfect !     You  are  a  paragon  of  loveliness !  "  he  exclaimed. 
"  The  most  beautiful  and  the  sweetest  woman  in  the  world !  " 


1 66  The  Lady  of  New  Orleans. 

"  I  want  to  introduce  you  to  my  friend ;  here  she  comes," 
quickly  spoke  Miss  de  Ampbert.  "  I  present  my  intended  hus- 
band, Mr.  Alpha  Millyard,  Miss  Weightman,  Miss  Arrebelle 
Weightman." 

Miss  Weightman  was  a  woman  of  remarkable  personality.  Dis- 
tinguished in  appearance  and  strikingly  beautiful,  a  brunette. 
Tall  and  graceful,  with  charming  manners.  She  was  handsomely 
gowned.  One  would  have  judged  her  to  be  about  twenty-four 
or  twenty-five  years  of  age. 

Repairing  to  the  dining-room,  the  three  partook  of  a  light 
lunch,  with  claret.  Soon  they  were  in  the  carriage  and  on  their 
way  to  the  little  mission  church. 

Meantime  there  had  been  another  and  a  sadly  different  kind  of 
incident  going  on. 

In  the  early  morning  Aunt  Jane  hurrLdly  went  from  her  home 
to  the  mansion  of  Miss  de  Ampbert  and  sought  the  steward  pri- 
vately. She  informed  him  that  Miss  Bertha  Rosenstin  had  by 
some  means  ascertained  that  Miss  Rittea  was  to  be  married  that 
day  to  Mr.  Millyard  and  had  come  to  her  house  vowing  she 
would  shoot  Miss  de  Ampbert  as  she  was  going  to  the  church. 
She  declared,  said  Aunt  Jane,  that  Mr.  Millyard  should  not  marry 
that  octoroon.  That  Miss  Bertha  had  a  pistol  and  had  gone  from 
her  house  in  the  direction  of  the  church.  Louis,  the  stiff  French- 
man, told  Aunt  Jane  he  would  go  at  once  and  notify  the  chief  of 
police  and  the  chief  of  detectives. 

As  there  was  no  margin  of  time  to  be  lost,  Louis  hurried  to 
the  offices  of  those  officials  and  got  them  to  detail  a  force  of  men 
to  visit  the  scene  and  be  on  the  alert  for  the  warlike  woman. 

One  of  the  detectives,  and  he  was  not  Volney,  proceeded  to 
Aunt  Jane's  house.  He  found  that  Bertha  had  returned  there 
and  was  then  in  the  house.  The  officer  then  anchored  himself 
around  the  corner  and  watched.  When  Bertha  came  out  and 
started  towards  the  church  the  detective  followed  close  behind  her. 
Bertha  sped  on  and  the  officer,  who  was  clothed  in  citizen's  dress, 
quickened  his  pace  in  accordance.  He  kept  as  near  to  her  as 
possible.  When  within  less  than  a  square  of  the  church  a  carriage 
passed  them.  Faster  and  faster,  almost  to  a  run,  went  Bertha. 
She  rightlv  judged  it  to  be  the  carriage  containing  the  bride  and 
groom.  The  officer  accelerated  his  gait  to  meet  if  not  even  to 
exceed  that  of  Bertha.  He  knew  he  must  intercept  her  before 
she  reached  the  carriage  as  it  halted. 


Awful  Tragedy  Averted.  167 

The  church  was  located  in  an  open  lot,  a  few  firs  and  magnolias 
and  other  small  trees  and  shrubbery  in  front. 

As  Miss  de  Ampbert's  carriage  came  in  sight  of  the  church 
Mr.  Millyard  cried  out: 

"  Look  at  those"  -two  policemen  at  the"  church,  in  the  grove 
there !  " 

"  Yes,  indeed,"  responded  Miss  de  Ampbert.  "  What  can  it 
mean?    I  do  hope  they  are  not  after  you  again." 

"  My  heart  is  in  my  throat,"  returned  Millyard,  falteringly. 

The  two  policemen  came,   meeting  them  briskly,  but  rapidly  _ 
passed  on  by,  as  they  tipped  their  helmets. 

"  I  am  so  glad  they  did  not  want  you,"  exclaimed  Miss  de 
Ampbert,  showing  her  feeling  by  her  action  as  well  as  words. 

"  I  suppose  they  are  here  to  prevent  intrusion  by  curious  outsid- 
ers," reassuringly  remarked  Miss  Weightman. 

The  carriage  halted  at  the  church  ;  the  coachman  got  down 
quickly  from  his  box  and  opened  the  carriage  door.  Another  in- 
stant and  Mr.  Millyard  was  on  the  ground  extending  his  hands 
towards  his  bride,  who  was  reaching  a  dainty  foot  down  to  the 
carriage  step. 

With  an  extra  effort  Bertha  rushed  forward  brandishing  an 
ugly-looking  revolver  in  her  hand,  pointing  direct  at  the  place 
where  the  bride  would  alight.  Bertha  made  an  effort  to  dodge 
around  the  two  advancing  policemen  so  as  not  to  shoot  them. 
But  the  more  she  tried  to  dodge  them  the  more  they  tried  to 
get  in  front  of  her.  Bertha's  hat  had  been  left  behind  in  her 
wild  chase  and  her  long  hair  was  flowing  back  like  a  wild  horse's 
tail  in  a  rolling  wave.  Her  eyes  were  gleaming.  The  detective  in 
citizen's  clothes,  who  had  been  following,  made  a  desperate  lunge 
forward  and  grasped  Bertha  round  the  shoulders  and  grabbed 
the  revolver  just  in  time  for  the  hammer  of  the  little  mischief - 
making  pistol  to  come  down  on  the  fleshy  part  between  his 
thumb  and  index  finger  as  Miss  de  Ampbert  stepped  on  the 
ground.  In  a  moment  more  and  the  two  other  policemen  had 
wrested  the  revolver  from  Bertha's  grasp,  but  at  the  same  time 
fearfully  lacerating  the  detective's  hand. 

Bertha  was  quietly  marched  away,  finally  to  the  central  police 
station. 

After  the  policemen  had  Bertha  under  control,  one  on  each 
side  holding  her  arms,  she  exclaimed : 

"  I  want  to  kill  that  octoroon !    She  shall  not  marry  that  man ! 


1 68  The  Lady  of  New  Orleans. 

She  is  deceiving  him !  "  Such  a  charge  was  a  serious  one  to 
make. 

'  Yes,  but  they  are  in  the  church  being  married  by  this  time," 
said  one  of  the  policemen. 

"  I  will  lay  in  wait  and  shoot -her  yet!  I'll  shoot  her  the  first 
time  I  see  her.  I  don't  care  if  I  shoot  him,  too!"  cried 
Bertha. 

Nothing  of  this  semi-tragedy  was  known  to  those  who  had  been 
occupants  of  the  carriage.  Their  heads  were  turned  toward  the 
little  sacred  edifice  where  their  happiness  was  to  be  consum- 
mated. 

All  of  the  De  Ampbert  servants  were  present  as  were  also 
Judge  Cotton  and  Delarue.  After  the  ceremony  and  congratula- 
tions, the  Rector,  Judge  Cotton  and  Mr.  Delarue,  after  signing 
the  marriage  certificate,  accompanied  the  bride  and  bridegroom 
to  the  carriage. 

Mrs.  Millyard,  as  she  was  now,  insisted  that  all  three  of  them 
should  come  and  dine  with  them  that  afternoon,  to  which  they  con- 
sented. 

'  Mr.  Delarue,  you  must  come  and  go  with  us  now,"  said  Mrs. 
Millyard.  "  Be  seated  Jiere  by  the  side  of  Miss  Weightman. 
Judge  Cotton  will  excuse  you,  won't  you,  Judge?  " 

'  Certainly,  Madame,  to  be  in  such  fair  company,"  lie  replied. 

After  arriving  home  they  all  had  champagne  and  a  sumptuous 
lunch.  Oyster  patties,  baked  and  stuffed  soft-shell  crabs,  pom- 
pano  salad,  artichoke  boiled,  et  cetera,  such  as  New  Orleans  alone 
furnishes.  Delarue  became  very  assiduous  in  his  attentions  to 
Miss  Arrebelle  Weightman,  and  Mrs.  Millyard  encouraged  it. 

After  returning  to  the  drawing-rooms  Delarue  sided  to  Mill- 
yard  and  said,  before  they  were  seated : 

"  I  got  forty  more  for  you  to-day." 

"You  must  keep  that  for  yourself,  Mr.  Delarue,"  pleadingly 
said  Millyard. 

"  Nothing  of  the  kind,"  replied  Mike;  "  I  will  not.  I  told  you 
I  have  a  situation." 

'  Never  mind  then,  dear  Alpha,"  said  Mrs.  Millyard,  who  over- 
heard the  latter  remarks,  "  we  will  make  it  all  right  for  Mr. 
Delarue." 

"  Mike,  would  it  be  asking  too  much  for  you  to  go  to  my  ex- 
boarding-house  and  see  about  getting  my  baggage  to  the 
steamer  ? " 


Awful  Tragedy  Averted.  169 

"  No,  sir ;  "  he  replied  quickly.  '  Not  in  the  least.  That  is 
what  I  am  here  for ;  trying  to  find  out  what  I  can  do  for  you  or 
your  charming  A'ife.     I  will  go  and  attend  to  it  immediately." 

"  Mr.  Delarue,  be  sure  and  be  back  here  in  -time  for  dinner," 
added  Mrs.  Millyard,  as  Mike  was  going  out. 

"  Of  course  I  will ;  Mr.  Millyard's  disease  is  contagious,"  re- 
sponded Delarue  as  out  the  door  he  went. 

'  That  man  is  the  most  upright  man  I  ever  knew,"  remarked 
Millyard  to  his  bride. 

;'  He  seems  to  be  a  splendid  gentleman,"  Miss  Weightman  ven- 
tured to  say,  she  having  heard  their  latter  remarks. 

"  He  most  surely  is  devoted  to  Mr.  Millyard,"  interposed  Mrs. 
Millyard.  "  Alpha  befriended  him  when  he  actually  needed  aid. 
He  shows  that  he  is  grateful;  that  is  a  quality  to  be  regarded.  I 
will  go  in  the  library  and  make  out  a  check  to  him  right  now  for 
three  thousand  dollars,  date  it  yesterday  and  mail  it  to  him.  He 
will  not  get  it  until  we  are  gone."  She  proceeded  to  do  as  she 
said  she  would.  Miss  Weightman  excused  herself  and  repaired 
to  her  apartment. 

"  Come  up  to  my — our  apartments,  Alpha,  my  dear.  I  wish 
to  give  you  those  papers,  the  deeds  and  the  money,  which  is  in 
gold,  and  explain  to  you  more  fully  my  business  affairs  so  that 
you  can  look  after  them." 

'  My  sweet  wife's  apartments,"  exclaimed  Millyard  as  they  en- 
tered. '  Rut  it  may  be  a  long  time  before  we  shall  occupy  them 
together." 

'  We  have  just  as  nice  ones  in  Paris,  if  not  nicer." 

She  gave  him  the  deeds  to  the  real  estate  and  the  certificates  of 
stock  in  the  bank  ami  street  railway  and  the  money.  Then  she 
explained  her  business  affairs  to  him. 

When  Delarue  returned  he  found  the  wedding-party  in  the 
parlors  enjoying  themselves.  He  excited  their  curiosity  by  re- 
marking: 

"  I  found  out  why  those  policemen  were  at  the  church.  But 
I  do  not  feel  myself  at  liberty  to  make  it  known  until  you  are  on 
board  the  steamer." 

'  Was  it  anything  abtout  Mr.  Millyard  ?  "  eagerly  asked  Mrs. 
Millyard. 

"  Not  exactly;  that  is,  not  directly,"  he  replied. 

Judge  Cotton  spoke  in  his  voluminous  voice ;     "  O,  they  had 


1 70  The  Lady  of  New  Orleans. 

to  attend  to  their  duty.  They  are  to  preserve  peace  and  order  for 
the  benefit  of  citizens,  for  society." 

"  O,  yes ;  I  see.  Of  course,"  said  Mrs.  Millyard,  seemingly 
satisfied. 

They  had  a  "  splendid  "  dinner,  as  the  Georgians  say,  accord- 
ing to  Mrs.  Millyard.  Toasts  were  proposed  and  to  each  and  every 
one  the  appropriate  speech  was  made. 

The  De  Ampbert  servants  were  at  the  wharf  to  see  "  Miss  Rit- 
tea  "  depart  for  France  with  her  husband.  Mr.  Mike  Delarue, 
though  somewhat  sad,  was  anticipating  every  little  needful  thing 
to  be  done.  The  three,  the  bride  and  groom  and  himself,  standing 
on  the  deck,  he  said : 

"  Look  beyond,  over  those  handkerchiefs  waving  at  you, 
Madame,  and  you  can  see  the  hole  in  the  wall  where  Mr.  Mill- 
yard  had  such  a  narrow  escape  from  abduction." 

"  Ah,  Mike,"  interposed  Millyard,  "  that  scene  is  sad  indeed. 
Had  it  not  been  for  your  faithful  friendship  I  could  not  be  here 
now." 

Not  the  least  noticeable  feature  of  the  parting  salutations  to  the 
bride  were  bevy  upon  bevies  of  poor  people  who  had  been  bene- 
ficiaries of  her  bounty.  Standing  on  the  levee  they  waved  their 
hands,  hats  and  handkerchiefs,  shouting,  some  in  French  and 
some  in  Spanish,  others  in  English :  "  Adieu  to  the  good  lady  of 
New  Orleans !  Adios,  my  lady,  bon  voyage  to  the  lady  of  New 
Orleans !  Come  back  again,  sweet  lady,  to  your  own  New 
Orleans." 

It  was  affecting.  Such  a  parting  salutation  on  such,  or  on  any 
other,  occasion  is  sufficient  to  inspire  one  with  the  wish  that  he 
had  given  more  to  the  poor  and  distributed  it  more  broadly. 

The  large  steamer  was  ready  for  her  sea  journey.  Mr.  De- 
larue must  needs  go  ashore.  As  he  was  leaving  Millyard  called 
him  and  said : 

"  Mike,  go  to  the  post-office  in  the  morning.  There  is  a  letter 
there  for  you."  . 

Mike  thought  he  referred  to  the  verses  Alpha  wrote  and  which 
were  set  to  music:  '  There's  a  Letter  There  for  You."  So  Mill- 
yard  had  to  reassure  him  as  he  ran  down  the  gangway. 

The  servants,  Delarue,  the  good  Mr.  Frank,  the  poor  people 
and  some  other  acquaintances  shouted  and  waved  hats,  hands  and 
handkerchiefs  as  the  big  steamer  pulled  away  from  the  wharf  out 


Awful  Tragedy  Averted.  171 

into  the  middle  of  the  great  stream  and  glided  on  down  the  great 
Mississippi  river. 

After  the  steamer  turned  the  bend  and  sight  was  lost  of  those 
on  shore,  reflections  upon  those  things  left  behind  were  the  first 
thoughts  to  seize  the  minds  of  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Millyard. 

'  There !  I  forgot  something."  It  is  ever  thus,  the  thing 
"  forgot  "  is  the  thing  thought  of  first.  Mrs.  Millyard  thought 
of  something.     She  said  : 

"  Mr.  Delarue  did  not  tell  us  why  those  policemen  were  at  the 
church." 

"  He  mentioned  the  matter  incidentally  to  me,"  Mr.  Millyard 
stated,  "  but  said  your  steward  could  tell  us  all  about  it." 

"  We  must  have  Louis  tell  us,"  suggested  Madame  Millyard. 

The  newly-married  couple,  under  auspicious  conditions  for  their 
honeymoon,  had  the  best  suite  of  staterooms  on  the  steamer,  ele- 
gantly fitted  for  the  occasion  by  «the  agents  of  the  company.  Mrs. 
Milliard's  maid,  Sarah,  and  Louis,  the  stiff-backed  steward,  had 
all  things  arranged  in  complete  and  perfect  order  for  the  ocean 
voyage. 

Love  on,  ye  sweet  ones ;  you  know  not  what  bitter  sighs  and 
grief  may  be  yet  in  store. 

Rittea  and  Alpha  looked  with  lovers'  eyes  and  spoke  with 
lovers'  tongues.  In  the  language  of  a  classic :  "  Jupiter  in  steal- 
ing Europa  was  not  more  happy  than  they.  And  like  them,  while 
swimming  from  Phoenicia  to  Crete,  as  witty  Lucian  records  it, 
'  may  the  winds  hush,  their  sea  be  calm  and  a  Neptune  and  Am- 
phitrite  ride  in  a  chariot  before  to  break  the  waves  that  they  may 
not  too  roughly  visit  them.  And  may  Tritons  dance  about  them, 
with  every  one  a  torch  to  light  their  way,  with  sea-nymphs,  half- 
naked,  keeping  time  on  dolphins'  backs,  follow  in  their  train, 
singing  beautiful  hymns,  and  Cupid  nimbly  tripping  on  top  of  the 
waters,  while  Venus  follows  closely  after  in  a  tortoise-shell  strew- 
ing roses  and  flowers  on  their  devoted  heads." 


!72  The  Lady  of  New  Orleans. 


CHAPTER  XXIX. 

EXTRAORDINARY    DISCOVERY. 

"  In  Nature's  path  a  mystic  legend  lay 
Unseen  for  ages.     Not  in  waving  fields, 
Nor  in  the  glow  that  Summer's  blossom  yields 
Was't  writ ;  but  in  the  dust  and  ashes  gray. 
At  length  came  one  whom  the  fair  earth  did  sway 
With  yearnings  deep — one  who  did  love  all  hills 
And  rocks  as  Nature  loves ;  he  felt  her  thrills 
Of  mystery  and  turned  his  steps  that  way, 
Reading  with  seer's  eye  her  magic  line. 
Far  'neath  the  furrowed  clay  he  caught  a  gleam 
Of  color  all  divine  and  knew  his  dream 
Fulfilled.     He  saw  the  emerald  jewel  shine, 
And  send  its  sparkles  up  to  greet  the  light, 
Through  unsunned  shadows  flashed  the—'  Hiddenite.' " 

The  foregoing  lines  signed  "J.  W.  M.,"  and  published, 
brought  about  the  marriage  of  the  parties  thereto,  who  are  New 
Yorkers,  and  of  whom  the  gentleman,  if  not  intimately  is,  at 
least,  indirectly  associated  with  this  narrative,  and  has  his  name 
imperishably  recorded  in  the  literature  of  gems. 

Leaving  for  a  while  the  happy  married  pair  who  are  crossing 
the  ocean  we  return  to  another  twain  who  are  also  as  one,  Mr. 
Dalgal  and  wife. 

"  Look  here,  wifie,"  remarked  Galen  Dalgal,  Esquire,  to  Mrs. 
Dalgal  some  few  months  subsequent  to  their  marriage,  "  a  man 
representing  himself  as  an  expert  assayist,  chemist  and  mineralo- 
gist came  into  my  office  a  few  weeks  ago  and  obtained  from  me 
a  written  agreement  permitting  him  to  examine  that  tract  of  land 
over  in  Alexander  County  which  I  got  from  Judge  Selia  to  see  if 
there  are  any  minerals  on  it.  You  remember  some  one  told  me 
there  is  gold  and  green  diamonds  on  it  ?  Mooney's  report  verified 
it;  he  saw  them  in  the  ground.  So  that's  the  reason  I  gave  this 
man  a  permit.  But  I  had  to  agree  to  let  him  have  all  he  found  in 
prospecting.    You  all  said  I  dreamed  about  it  and  wanted  to  dis- 


Extraordinary  Discovery.  173 

courage  me.  If  I  dreamed,  I've  dreamed  again ;  it's  a  dead  sure 
thing." 

"  Have  you  heard  from  him?  "  gently  inquired  Mrs.  Dalga!. 

"  Yes,  the  expert  came  into  my  office  to-day  and  not  only  veri- 
fied what  Mooney  saw  with  his  goggle  eyes,  but  gave  me  these 
samples."  So.  saying,  Mr.  Dalgal  proceeded  to  extract  from  the 
depths  of  his  trousers  pockets  broken  rocks  and  stones  which 
were  glittering  with  lumps  of  gold.  He  also  produced  a  couple 
of  green  gems  which  sparkled  like  diamonds.  The  latter  were 
about  the  size  of  an  ordinary  blue  lead-pencil,  and  were  ulti- 
mately sold  for  $300  and  $350  each.  Placing  them  on  a  little 
table  where  Mrs.  Dalgal  could  examine  and  admire  them,  he 
added,  with  enthusiasm : 

"  There  is  an  overwhelming,  overflowing  fortune  in  it  for  us." 

"  O,  my !  You  have  dreamed  to  some  advantage  then,  haven't 
you  ?  "  softly  remarked  Mrs.  Dalgal. 

"  Go  ahead !  Call  it  dreaming ;  there's  nothing  like  it.  An- 
other thing,  I  have  not  missed  hitting  the  crack  in  the  floor  or  on 
the  sidewalk  since  the  day  before  I  made  that  trade  with  Judge 
Selia.  And,  by  the  way,  I  heard  about  Mr.  Alpha  Millyard  to- 
day. Mr.  Dheumazeil  of  New  Orleans  told  me  he  married  a  beau- 
tiful heiress  in  New  Orleans  some  time  ago  and  sailed  for  Europe, 
France,  Paris,  I  think." 

"  We  will  forget  about  him,"  softly  suggested  Mrs.  Dalgal.  "  I 
think  you  are  by  far  the  best  man.  Is  it  good  luck  to  do  as  you 
say?"  Smiling,  she  added:  "  If  it  is  good  luck  for  you  I  must 
practise  it." 

"  Yes,  but  you  must  do  it  without  thinking  about  it.  It  is 
better  luck  for  me  than  looking  accidentally  at  the  new  moon  un- 
obstructed over  the  right  shoulder.  I  don't  know  which  is  the 
risjht  shoulder  to  look  over.  I  never  could  have  r.nv  luck  at  that. 
Somehow  I  nearly  always  see  the  new  moon  through  the  boughs 
of  a  tree  and  hardly  ever  over  my  right  shoulder.  Some  people 
think  there  is  no  such  thing  as  luck,  but  the  good  old  experienced 
David  could  not  have  been  that  badly  in  the  wrong ;  he  records  in 
his  Psalms  that  there  is." 

"  What  is  the  idea,  the  force  and  reason,  for  hitting,  as  you 
call  it,  the  crack  in  the  floor?"  asked  Mrs.  Dalgal,  somewhat  de- 
murely. 

"  It  is  just  this,"  replied  Dalgal.  "  It  teaches  me  to  be  careful, 
punctual,  precise ;  to  think  what  I  am  doing.  It  requires  one  toibe 


i74  The  Lady  of  New  Orleans. 

methodical  and  have  an  object  in  view.  That  is  all  the  lesson, 
rhyme  or  reason  I  can  see  in  it.  As  for  stepping  across  the  line 
and  not  on  it,  the  lesson  is  about  the  same.  It  causes  one  to  look 
where  they  are  walking,  to  be  cautious,  with  good  measured  tread 
and  methodical.  There  is  in  reality  no  superstition  in  it,  only  as 
one  does  peradventure  try  in  his  own  imagination  to  make  it  so. 
For  -a  fact  it  is  a  better  aid  to  rectitude  than  any  secret  order  ini- 
tiating ritual." 

'  Has  this  expert  left  town?  "  asked  Mrs.  Dalgal.    She  had  her 
eye  on  business. 

''  No;  he  said  he  wanted  to  see  me  again  as  soon  as  his  men 
come  with  the  wagons  and  some  more  samples." 

"  Invite  him  to  take  dinner  with  us  to-morrow." 

The  next  day  Professor  Alfred  Wortman,  the  expert,  was  at 
dinner  with  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Galen  Dalgal. 

"  You  see,"  said  Professor  Wortman,  "  these  are  the  richest 
specimens  of  gold  ore  I  have  ever  seen  in  the  world.  I  have  been 
all  over  the  world  and  visited  every  large  gold  camp  on  the  globe. 
It  was  in  Australia  two  years  ago  that  I  heard  about  gold  ores  in 
this  section  and  that  the  people  did  not  know  how  to  mine  for  it 
or  extract  it.  These  green  gems  are  a  new  discovery.  They  will 
sell  for  about  twice  or  three  times  as  much  as  the  same  size  white 
diamonds." 

"  Where  do  you  find  them  ?  "  asked  Dalgal. 

"  They  are  found  in  pockets,"  replied  the  professor,  "  in  cavities 
of  rocks  of  different  sizes,  from  that  of  your  fist  up  to  a  bowlder 
about  double  the  size  of  a  man's  head.  We  dig  in  the  ground  and 
when  we  find  the  rocks  which  bear  the  cavities  we  break  the  rocks 
open  with  hammers,  and  on  the  inside  at  about  the  center  find  this 
most  precious  and  most  beautiful  of  all  gems.  The  gems  vary  in 
size  and  brilliancy  and  consequently  in  value.  I  have  found  only 
two  that  are  deficient  in  brilliancy,  and  one  of  these  is  worth  at 
least  one  hundred  dollars;  yet  it  is  a  small  stone.  I  have  another 
rrem  that  will  fetch  anywhere  from  two  thousand  to  twenty-five 
hundred  dollars.  I  expect  to  find  quantities  of  these  gems  deeper 
in  the  ground,  probably  in  the  mountain,  that  will  range  in  value 
from  one  thousand  to  ten  thousand  dollars,  and  some  even  prob- 
ably two  hundred  and  fifty  thousand  dollars,  maybe  more.  I  tell 
you  about  this  confidentially  and  can  prove  the  practicability  of 
the  development  of  both,  the  richest  gold  mine  in  the  world  and 
a  gem  mine  richer  and  worth  more  than  all  the  gold  mines  in 


Extraordinary  Discovery.  175 

the  United  States,  because  I  would  like  to  know  from  you  and 
your  good  lady  right  here  before  I  leave  what  arrangement  you 
will  make  with  me  to  have  them  both  worked  at  once  and  to  the 
fullest  and  speediest  extent  possible  ?  It  will  take  big  money  for 
the  purchase  of  the  machinery  necessary  besides  knowing  how  to 
use  it  properly." 

'•  We  have  not  considered  that  question,  Professor,"  said  Mr. 
Dalgal.    "  Tell  us  what  you  think  about  it." 

"  1  will  undertake  to  erect  a  plant  necessary  for  the  gold  mining 
and  for  crushing  the  rocks  to  secure  the  gems  and  pay  all  ex- 
penses whatsoever  for  three-fourths  of  the  output." 

"  Three-fourths !  "  exclaimed  Mr.  Dalgal.  "  That  leaves  us 
only  one-fourth.    Do  you  mean  gross  or  net  ?  " 

"  O,  well,  make  it  gross,"  replied  the  Professor.  '  I  will  pay  all 
expenses  out  of  our  share  and  all  the  taxes." 

"  I  will  think  it  over  and  see  what  we  will  do,  Professor." 

;'  I  must  know  at  once.  Because  I  shall  leave  here  day  after 
to-morrow  and  go  east,  probably  to  New  York  direct,  unless  I 
stop  over  in  Philadelphia." 

"  I  will  let  you  know  in  the  morning.  Come  to  my  office.  By 
that  time  your  wagons  will  arrive."  Mr.  Dalgal  was  evidently  be- 
coming quite  interested. 

That  night  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Dalgal  discussed  the  matter  and  de- 
cided that  as  they  could  not  develop  the  property,  did  not  even 
know  how,  and  as  something  was  better  than  nothing,  they  would 
accept  the  professor's  proposal. 

Next  morning  Mr.  Dalgal  began  telling  his  wife  what  some 
one  had  told  him  about  the  enormous  wealth  he  had  acquired 
from  the  green  diamond  mines  and  how  he  had  sold  it  for  a 
large  fortune. 

"  Galen,  my  dear,  you  dreamed  that  last  night,"  laughingly  said 
Mrs.  Dalgal.  '  No  one  but  the  Professor  knows  anything  about 
the  matter.  You  dreamed  it  on  account  of  what  he  told  you  yes- 
terday at  dinner." 

"  Let  it  go  as  a  dream  then.  It's  an  extraordinarily  good  one, 
if  it  will  only  come  true,  pan  out,  as  we  gold  miners  say." 

The  teams  with  the  tools,  samples,  et  cetera,  arrived  at  Mr. 
Dalgal 's  residence  before  he  had  breakfast,  but  Professor  Wort- 
man  did  not  come  until  some  time  afterward. 

Mr.  Dalgal  and  his  wife  examined  the  ores  and  the  gems  with 
eager  concern  and  great  amazement.     Their  enthusiasm  and  de- 


176  The  Lady  of  New  Orleans. 

sire  was  so  greatly  aroused  that  they  immediately  agreed  to  the 
Professor's  proposal. 

Repairing  to  the  office  of  Mr.  Dalgal  a  contract  was  drawn  up 
and  signed  as  agreed,  extending  seven  years  in  duration.  Mr. 
Dalgal's  share  was  to  be  in  the  rough,  but  was  to  be  "  treated  " 
and  put  in  "  marketable  shape  "  for  a  consideration  slightly  above 
cost. 

Professor  Wortman  started  the  wagons  back  to  Alexander  pro- 
vided with  provisions  and  money  necessary  to  last  until  he  re- 
turned from  New  York.  He  then  took  the  train  bound  for  the 
east,  where  he  hoped  to  engage  capital  in  the  enterprise,  purchase 
machinery  and  make  his  fortune  in  short  order. 


Richest  Mines  in  the  World.  177 


CHAPTER  XXX. 

RICHEST  MINES  IN  THE  WORLD. 

"  Hidden  for  all  ages  from  all  human  sight, 
At  last  by  Hidden  means  brought  forth  to  light, 
And  on  the  brow  of  Kings  to  shine  art  bidden 
While  thy  discoverer  is  forever  Hidden." 

The  above  couplet  was  published  in  London  under  the  heading-: 

"  On  the  New  Gem  Stone  Hiddenite."  By  Rev.  W.  H.  Rog- 
ers, D.  D.,  of  London." 

The  new  gem  produced  a  sensation  at  once.  The  gem  expert 
scientists  refused  to  concede  that  it  was  a  distinct  species  or  new 
variety  hitherto  unknown  until  it  was  not  only  tested  but  abso- 
lutely analyzed.  But  a  European  mineralogist  of  wide  repute  had 
already  pronounced  it  one  of  the  most  valuable  precious  stones 
ever  discovered.  An  American  geologist,  who  had  the  naming, 
called  it  "  Hiddenite,"  a  rather  indefinite  yet  suggestive  name,  in 
compliment  to  Professor  Wm.  Earl  Hidden,  an  American  geolo- 
gist, but  belonging  to  several  English  societies,  who  only  a  short 
time  before  had  preceded  Professor  Wortman  in  the  discovery  of 
this  brilliant,  sparkling  green  gem,  and  at  a  place  only  a  few 
miles  distant  from  where  Wortman  found  it. 

The  stone  is  a  green  variety  of  spodumene  and  is  found  along 
with  emerald  and  aquamarine.  It  is  the  only  gem  variety  and 
occurs  occasionally  in  the  soil,  but  principally  as  lining  cavities 
in  the  gneissoid  rocks.  But  in  Alexander  county,  North  Carolina, 
is  the  only  place  in  the  world  where  the  gem  nas  been  found. 

Professor  Wortman  did  not  make  much  progress  in  Philadel- 
phia in  securing  customers  with  capital  to  take  an  interest  in  his 
newly  discovered  gem.  Therefore  he  did  not  tarry  there  long, 
but  proceeded  to  New  York  city. 

In  this  world-renowned  mart  of  money  and  enterprise,  with  its 
myriad  of  ostentatious  "  promoters,"  who,  seemingly,  hear  of  a 
man  and  all  his  enterprises  and  more  about  them  than  he  himself 
12 


178  The  Lady  of  New  Orleans. 

knows,  many  days  or  even  months  in  advance  of  its  being  the  talk 
of  the  public,  and  where  these  aforesaid  "  promoters  "  seem  to 
have  a  "  corner  on  the  market  "  and  are  in  communicado  one  with 
another  on  every  scheme  and  business  enterprise  from  one  end  of 
the  world  to  the  other,  much  less  of  every  city,  hamlet  and  crossing 
of  the  roads  in  the  United  States,  and  by  these  and  by  various 
other  devices  draw  by  a  strange  magnetism  the  financial  vitals  of 
America,  yea,  of  the  world,  Professor  Alfred  Wortman  found  but 
few  to  listen  to  his  recital  of  untold  wealth  in  sight,  to  be  had  at 
once,  and  none  to  embark  with  their  capital  in  the  enterprise.  He 
was  discouraged.  He  had  daily  been  the  rounds  from  the  foot  of 
Broadway  to  Canal  street  and  on  every  cross  street  and  parallel 
street  between  for  weeks  without  success. 

They  all  admired  his  new  kind  of  diamonds  or  gems  and  his 
samples  of  gold  ore,  but  they  invariably  seemed  to  have  the  idea 
that  he  had  his  "  pegs,"  as  well  as  hopes,  "  set  too  high  "  to  let 
them  in  even  '*  on  the  ground  floor."  Thus,  after  being  "  hawked  " 
several  weeks,  failure  stared  the  too  sanguine  Professor  in  the 
face. 

He  was  on  the  verge  of  giving  uu  the  enterprise  in  hopeless 
despair  when  he  accidentally  met  "  a  gentleman  from  the  South  " 
in  the  office  of  a  broker  up-stair  -  on  Williams  street.  By  the 
merest  accident  they  bowed  and  spoke  to  each  other.  No  doubt 
on  account  of  the  elevator  man  saying  something  to  the  other 
about  a  Southern  man -having  been  up  that  morning.  The  Pro- 
fessor was  thus  emboldened  to  inquire  of  the  other  if  he  was  from 
the  South. 

1  Yes,  I  was  born  in  the  South,  but  I  am  now  residing  in- 
France." 

"  I  am  not  a  Southern  man,  but  I  have  been  in  the  South  a  few 
years,"  returned  Professor  Wortman.  "  I  am  just  now  from 
North  Carolina,  where  I  found  some  of  the  richest  gold  and  gem 
property  in  the  world.  Having  been  all  over  the  world  and  being 
in  the  mineral  ore  and  gem  business,  I  know  whereof  I  speak." 

'  What  part  of  North  Carolina?  "  asked  the  Frenchman. 

"  The  western  part,"  he  replied.  '  The  property  of  which  I 
speak  is  near  a  little  town  called  Hickory,  a  new  town,  just  built 
up  since  the  railroad  was  built  through  there." 

"You  don't  say?  Hickory?"  ejaculated  the  Frenchman.  "I 
have  been  there.  I  have  had  some  pleasant  associations  connected 
with  that  place." 


Richest  Mines  in  the  World.  179 

"  Mav  the  Lord  bless  me !  How  strangely  men  do  come  to- 
gether," said  the  Professor.    "  Whom  do  you  know  in  Hickory?  " 

"  I  did  know  nearly  all  the  inhabitants  there.  I  had  what  you 
call  a  sweetheart  there." 

"  What  is  her  name?  "  asked  the  Professor. 

"  Helms,  daughter  of  Judson  Helms,  the  blind,  sash  and  door 
man." 

"  Indeed !  She  married  Colonel  Dalgal,  the  eminent  lawyer.  I 
am  just  now  trying  to  make  a  deal  for  Colonel  Dalgal  in  connec- 
tion with  the  find  I  made  on  his  lands."  He  then  went  on  and 
briefly  related  about  the  gold  and  the  gems.  Dalgal  was  then  a 
"  colonel  "  to  the  Professor. 

When  they  had  waited  a  few  moments  after  stepping  out  of  the 
elevator  the  gentleman  from  France  was  invited  in  the  private  of- 
fice of  the  same  party  whom  Professor  Wortman  desired  to  see. 
They  quickly  exchanged  cards,  after  the  Professor  had  made  an 
appointment  to  see  him  that  night  at  his  hotel,  the  Brunswick,  and 
Mr.  Alpha  Millyard  went  inside. 

Professor  Wortman  waited  nearly  an  hour  and  at  last  was  in- 
formed by  the  clerk  who  attended  to  the  cards  that  he  must  call 
the  next  day  at  ten-forty.  The  Professor  departed  rather  reluc- 
tantly, yet  with  a  ray  of  hope  in  an  unexpected  quarter. 

Promptly  at  seven  o'clock  that  night  stately  old  Professor 
Wortman  sent  his  card  to  Mr.  Alpha  Millyard,  of  Paris,  at  the 
Hotel  Brunswick.  The  features  of  his  mission  were  unfolded  in 
precise  and  elaborate  language,  such  as  demonstrated  his  knowl- 
edge of  what  he  was  talking  about.  It  was  made  so  clear  and 
plain  to  Mr.  Millyard,  for  he  was  our  gentleman  from  New  Or- 
leans, that  the  man  was  honest  and  really  had  a  good  thing  and 
was  offering  a  rare  opportunity,  that  Mr.  Millyard  was  soon 
drawn  into  asking  questions. 

"  How  much  money,  Mr.  Wortman,  is  required  to  carry  your 
enterprise  through  to  a  success  ?  " 

"  It  can  be  done  with  a  hundred  thousand.  If  I  can  get  that 
much  to  be  paid,  twenty-five  thousand  down  and  twenty-five  thou- 
sand monthly  for  three  months  I  can  and  will  make  it  a  success. 
For  this,  as  I  said,  I  will  make  a  contract  and  give  an  interest  of 
three-fourths  of  the  net  proceeds  after  paying  the  bonus  of  one- 
fourth  of  the  gross  product  to  Colonel  Dalgal,  and  without  in- 
cluding anything  as  salary  for  my  services  in  managing  the  busi- 
ness." 


180  The  Lady  of  New  Orleans. 

"  Well,  sir,"  said  Millyard,  "  you  must  have  faith  in  the  busi- 
ness. Come  here  in  the  morning  at  nine  and  I  will  see  if  I  can 
draw  up  the  memorandum  of  a  contract  that  will  be  acceptable  to 
both  of  us.  I  wish,  however,  that  you  distinctly  and  specifically 
agree  that  my  name  shall  not  be  divulged,  especially  to  the  great 
dreamer,  my  old  friend  Galen  Dalgal  and  his  wife  in  connection 
with  the  matter,  because  I  am  thinking  of  venturing  in  the  enter- 
prise partly  on  their  account.  I  am  here  looking  for  investments 
and  this  may  be  a  chance  for  me.  Dalgal's  letter  and  your  other 
letters  of  commendation  of  you  are  quite  sufficient  for  me.  If  it 
is  a  success  then  it  will  be  time  enough  for  me,  myself,  to  ac- 
quaint Mr.  Dalgal  of  my  connection  with  the  affair." 

It  may  be  noted  that  Prof.  Wortman  referred  to  Dalgal  as 
"  colonel  "  and  Millyard  called  him  plain  "  mister."  In  some 
parts  of  the  United  States  it  depends  altogether  which  side  and 
how  the  bread  is  buttered  whether  one  is  a  "  colonel  ':  or  a 
"  mister." 

Prof.  Wortman,  the  staid  old  fellow,  showed  he  understood 
what  Millyard  meant  and  that  he  would  keep  faith  when  he 
agreed  to  the  terms.  He  was  about  the  happiest  man  in  all  New 
York  during  the  time  he  was  awaiting  the  arrival  of  nine  o'clock 
next  morning. 

At  the  appointed  time  the  two  men  met  and  went  down-town 
to  the  office  of  a  lawyer,  where  the  contract  was  drawn  in  due 
and  legal  form  and  signed  in  duplicate.  Meantime,  however, 
Prof.  Wortman  had  conducted  Millyard  to  a  leading  banker  who 
fully  and  freely  vouched  for  the  integrity  and  honesty  of  the  Pro- 
fessor. 

Coming  out  of  the  bank  they  chanced  to  meet  a  professor  of 
Columbia  college  who,  aside,  informed  Millyard  that  Professor 
Wortman's  reputation  and  ability  as  a  mineralogist  and  geologist 
was  of  the  highest  order. 

When  they  repaired  to  Millyard's  banker  Millyard  paid  the 
twenty-five  thousand  dollars  down  and  arranged  with  his  banker 
for  the  monthly  payments  to  Alfred  Wortman  upon  the  presenta- 
tion of  a  certain  specified  showing  or  exhibit  to  the  bank,  which 
included  vouchers  in  receipt  for  the  moneys  expended. 

Mr.  Millyard  had  pressing  business  calling  him  to  Boston, 
whither  he  decided  to  immediately  proceed.  Professor  Wortman 
went  in  quest  of  the  necessary  machinery  for  his  enterprise. 

In    the    shortest    time    possible    Professor    Alfred    Wortman, 


Richest  Mines  in  the  World.  181 

buoyed  as  he  was  by  all  the  fructifying  fruits  of  blessed  Hope, 
had  a  hum  of  industry  in  progress  in  Alexander  that  astonished 
the  natives. 

He  procured  laborers,  miners,  carpenters  and  all  sorts  of  work- 
men needful  and  ere  long  had  a  high  stockade  fence  enclosing 
many  acres  in  area,  half  a  mile  or  more  on  both  sides  of  a  branch 
and  extending  high  up  the  sides  of  the  mountains.  This  stock- 
ade was  for  twofold  purposes ;  to  prevent  intrusion  and  maintain 
privacy,  and  to  protect  the  product  of  the  mines  from  being  pur- 
loined, more  particularly  by  employees.  The  loss  of  a  nugget  of 
gold  or  a  gem  stone  would  be  equivalent  to  the  loss  of  its  value  in 
money.  Hence  rigid  rules  were  adopted  and  the  most  severe  dis- 
cipline maintained  with  regard  to  the  workmen  and  the  miners. 

All  the  necessary  houses  for  the  men  and  buildings  for  the  busi- 
ness were  erected  on  the  inside  of  the  stockade.  Therefore  the 
public  knew  absolutely  nothing  for  certain  of  what  was  trans- 
piring therein. 


1 82  The  Lady  of  New  Orleans. 


CHAPTER  XXXI. 

THE  DARK  QUESTION  OF  AMERICA. 

*  Give  me  a  cup  of  sac  to  make  mine  eyes  look  red, 
For  I  must  speak  in  passion." 
The  theme  demands  it. 

The  handsome  loving  couple,  Alpha  Millyard  and  Madame 
Rittea  de  Ampbert  Millyard,  have  not  passed  through  their  day. 
Alpha  Millyard  has  been  depicted  through  a  wilderness  of  trou- 
ble, but  his  wonderful  career  admits  of  its  further  recording. 

Mr.  Mike  Delarue  secured  the  situation  in  a  large  wholesale 
grocery  house  on  Gravier  street.  He  also  received  the  check  of 
Miss  de  Ampbert  for  the  sum  of  three  thousand  dollars. 

"  Bless  those  good  people !  I  do  hope  they  will  be  happv  alwavs 
and  that  no  trouble  will  ever  disturb  them.  Th.y  ^re  'so  good 
and  noble  they  Si  uld  never  experience  one  moment's  unhappi- 
ness." 

Thus  mused  Mr.  Delarue  while  returning  from  the  post-office, 
after  he  got  the  letter  wi.a  the  check.  He  at  once  went  to  the 
bank  the  check  was  drawn  on,  not  Yilleguini's,  and  arranging  for 
an  account  there,  deposited  the  check. 

Miss  Bertha  Rosenstin  was  tried  before  the  Recorder  next 
morning  and  fined,  further  sentence  was  suspended  and  she  was 
remanded  to  the  close  custody  of  her  father.  It  was  not  long, 
however,  until  Yilleguini  established  her  in  a  finelv  furnished 
cottage  down  in  French  town. 

It  was  about  six  months  after  the  departure  of  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Millyard  from  Xew  Orleans  that  Mr.  Mike  Delarue  wrote  Mr. 
Millyard  a  letter  imparting  the  information  that  he  was  married, 
and  to  Miss  Arrebelle  Weightman ;  also,  that  he  had  purchased  a 
half  interest  in  the  big  wholesale  grocerv  house. 

It  was  then  that  Alpha  Millyard  and  his  wife  discussed  the  pro- 
priety of  deposing  or  superseding  Mr.  Villeguini  as   President 


The  Dark  Question  of  America.  183 

of  the  bank  at  the  aoproaching  annual  election.  His  wife  quickly 
agreed  with  him  when  he  proposed  Mr.  Delarue  as  Villeguini's 
successor. 

It  was  for  this  purpose  that  Mr.  Millyard  made  the  trip  from 
Paris  to  New  Orleans,  which  he  successfully  accomplished,  and 
was  in  New  York  on  his  way  back  when  he  met  Professor  Wort- 
man. 

The  negro  question  has  been  the  chief  theme,  or  subject  of  con- 
tention between  the  peoples  of  the  Northern  and  the  Southern 
se  :tions  of  the  United  States  ever  since  it  was  discovered  that  the 
negro  was  a  necessary  and  growing  indigenous  personality,  or 
qui  si  institution  of  the  Southern  part  thereof,  in  estimating  the 
make-up  of  its  best  and  most  formidable  adjuncts. 

It  was  in  the  year  1792,  that  a  ship  arrived  at  the  port  of  Sa- 
vannah, Georgia,  part  of  the  cargo  of  which  consisted  of  twenty- 
six  human  beings,  including  male  and  female.  They  were 
brought  direct  from  Africa  and  were  black.  The  captain,  or  sail- 
ing master  of  the  vessel,  was  a  native  of  Massachusetts,  his  an- 
cestor, he  claimed,  having  been  a  Plymouth  Rocker.  These  semi- 
savage  black  people  were  illiterate,  could  not  speak  the  English 
language,  had  no  language  save  a  jargon  of  their  own  ;  they  were 
ignorant  of  their  destination  or  future  destiny.  They  were  landed 
in  a  strange  land  among  strange  people,  speaking  a  language 
which  they  did  not  understand ;  their  customs  and  manners  en- 
tirely different. 

Savannah  at  that  time  was  one  of  the  leading  seaports  of 
America.  There  were  men  there  from  various  sections  of  the 
country  anticipating  the  arrival  of  this  cargo  of  human  beings 
whom  they  expected  to  purchase  as  had  been  the  case  before,  and 
making  them  their  slaves. 

These  black  people  upon  being  landed  were  escorted  to  a  ware- 
house adjacent  to  the  wharf  and  left  there  for  inspection. 

These  plantation  owners  from  all  that  territory  now  embraced 
in  the  states  of  North  and  South  Carolina,  Georgia,  Florida,  Ala- 
bama, Mississippi,  Louisiana  and  parts  of  Texas  and  Virginia, 
came  to  Savannah,  or  sent  their  agents,  their  overseers,  to  make 
purchases  of  these  people  when  they  were  put  upon  the  auction 
block  for  sale.  It  was  then,  and  subsequently,  a  thriving  busi- 
ness for  New  England  ship-owners  and  masters.  As  there  were 
no  railroads  or  other  means  of  transportation  in  those  days  ex- 
cept by  wagons,  or  horseback,  it  was  a  sure  indication  to  the  mas- 


io4  The   Lady  of  New  Orleans. 

ter  of  the  vessel,  or  the  consignee  of  the  cargo  of  human  beings, 
that  those  persons  in  attendance  were  bona  fide  purchasers,  with 
the  cash  in  hand.  Therefore  bidding  for  slaves  was  always  spir- 
ited. Because  it  was  thus  early  in  the  historv  of  this  country 
being  demonstrated,  yea,  even  long  before  this  time  that  these 
black  people  were  the  kind  of  manual  laborers  adapted  to,  and 
suited  for,  all  requirements  in  that  whole  section  of  country.  Nor 
was  this  human  industry  confined  to  Savannah  and  other  South- 
ern seaports.  Northern  seaports  even  were  at  times  places  of 
landing  for  these  human  cargoes. 

On  this  occasion  the  bidding  for  the  negroes  just  arrived  from 
Africa  was  very  spirited.  Among  the  number  of  negroes  was 
one  old  man  who  had  been  given  the  name  of  Moses  as  a  substi- 
tute for  Massa  or  Masa.  He,  unlike  some  of  the  others,  had 
brought  his  entire  immediate  family ;  consisting  of  an  aged  wife, 
two  well-formed,  buxom  daughters  and  a  son.  Moses  was  said 
to  be  the  seventh  son  of  a  seventh  son,  and  descended  in  full  line 
from  a  ruler  or  king  in  the  domain  from  whence  he  came.  Moses 
was  a  very  aged  man.  It  was  claimed  that  he  had  talked  with  his 
grandfather  and  that  his  grandfather  had  talked  with  his  grand- 
father. And  thus  there  was  a  period  of  nearly  five  hundred  years 
of  history  stored  in  the  memory  of  old  man  Moses,  acquired  orally 
through  his  ancestors. 

The  primeval  history  of  the  world,  it  is  claimed,  commenced 
in  Africa  contemporaneous  with,  if  not  anterior  to,  that  of  Asia. 
Some  say  there  were  Kings  in  Africa  before  there  were  Kings 
in  Asia. 

We  come  now  to  deal  with  the  African,  Moses  and  his  family. 
Moses  and  his  wife,  Pola,  were  purchased  by  a  gentleman  from 
that  part  of  Georgia  now  known  as  Oglethorpe  county.  His 
eldest  daughter,  Lida,  a  magnificent  young  woman,  if  black, 
stately  in  appearance,  was  purchased  by  a  planter  from  the  Prov- 
ince, now  the  state  of  Louisiana.  The  other  daughter,  Nina,  was 
taken  to  North  Carolina,  and  the  son,  Bah  Ahben,  was  bid  off 
and  carried  away  by  a  bridge-builder  in  Georgia.  The  wife  of 
Moses  made  it  known  through  an-  old  darkey,  some'  time  from 
Africa,  who  happened  to  be  present  to  inquire  about  the  old  coun- 
try and  the  people  there,  that  she  wished  her  daughters  and  her 
son  to  go  with  her  and  their  father.  But  it  was  to  no  avail.  Each 
purchaser  stuck  to  his  bargain.  Thus  the  family  of  negroes  were 
separated  incontinently.     They  all  wended  their  ways  from  Sa- 


The  Dark  Question  of  America.  185 

vannah  to  their  new  and  unknown  homes  and  the  new  modes  of 
life  in  a  new  world,  in  a  frame  of  mind  that  can  only  be  con- 
jectured. 

The  transmigration  of  souls  to  Paradise,  the  separation  of 
parents,  brothers  and  sisters,  their  relatives  and  friends,  who  are 
consigned  to  everlasting  perdition,  or  different  realms  in  future 
life,  cannot  be  conceived  of  as  more  of  an  admixture  and  separa- 
tion of  people  than  was  this  growing  custom  of  separating  the 
negroes.  They  could  never  see  each  other  again  in  probably  a 
decade,  if  ever.  It  is  now  deemed  wonderful  how  they  aban- 
doned themselves  to  the  situation.  The  owners  and  their  young 
masters  and  mistresses  were  their  lords  and  princesses.  On 
many  and  many  a  plantation  they  lived  in  royal  splendor.  But 
in  some  instances  this,  of  course,  was  not  the  case. 

It  so  happened  that  the  son,  Bah  Ahben,  was  fortunate  in  being 
taken  by  a  bridge-builder.  He  had  worked  some  at  building 
causeways  and  the  like  in  far-off  Africa.  He  was  put  to  work  at 
building  bridges,  a  branch  of  internal  industry  which  was  then 
very  flourishing.  The  war  of  the  Revolution  had  ceased.  Amer- 
ica had  gained  her  Independence  and  the  new  Nation,  the  United 
States,  which  had  been  formed  was  in  successful  operation.  The 
people  had  retired  to  their  farms  and  plantations  and  engaged  in 
agriculture  and  the  building  of  homes  and  the  waylaying  of  the 
immense  forests  which  lay  outstretched  before  them  on  every 
hand. 

It  may  here  be  stated  that  the  period  then  was  one  of  the  most 
extraordinary  industrial  epochs  in  the  history  of  the  world.  The 
new  Nation,  the  new  government  and  the  new  system  of  govern- 
ment ;  a  virgin  field  for  human  action,  with  a  race  of  people  equal 
to  the  emergency,  being  launched  at  one  fell  swoop  into  the  con- 
glomerate of  National  controllers  of  the  tastes  and  purposes  of 
the  peoples  by  a  people  in  pursuit  of  freedom,  peace  and  happi- 
ness in  the  new  world,  is  now,  if  it  was  not  then,  regarded  by  all 
other  civilized  mankind,  and  by  us,  as  one  of  the  most  remark- 
able incidents  in  all  the  history  of  all  the  world.  In  the  good 
common  road  from  the  Mongolian  and  Malay  through  the  He- 
brew and  all  Asiatic  races  of  peoples  to  the  Gaul,  Teuton  and 
Anglo-Saxon,  there  must-  ever  remain  a  pread judged  theme  for 
contemporaneous  discussion  as  well  as  much  explanation. 

In  America  there  is  none.  No  explanation  is  necessary  or  re- 
quired.    The  people  know  where  they  begin,  they  know  where 


1 86  The  Lady  of  New  Orleans. 

they  come  from  and  that  they  are  on  a  plane  with  any  man  any- 
where. There  is  one  unction  for  sure ;  no  vandal,  invading,  bar- 
barous hordes  assimilates  their  blood,  whatever  else  may  have 
been  accomplished  by  peaceable  immigration. 

The  nomadic  Hebrew,  without  a  home  or  nationality  wander- 
ing throughout  the  world,  condemned  by  his  God,  forms  no 
greater  parallel  in  the  history  of  peoples  than  does  this  same 
negro  race  inhabiting  the  South.  They  are  the  most  subdued 
and  the  most  denounced  race  of  people  on  the  face  of  the  earth ; 
and  are  exciting  and  inciting  more  national  acrimony,  turmoil, 
trouble  and  animosity,  among  statesmen  as  well  as  the  common 
politicians,  than  all  other  questions  combined.  In  fact,  as  before 
said,  the  negro  question  is  the  chief  difference  of  opinion  dividing 
the  people  of  the  two  sections,  the  North  and  the  South  of  the 
United  States. 

Bridge 'and  causeway  building  in  the  South  during  the  period 
immediately  subsequent  to  the  Revolution  was  a  very  profitable 
industry.  Bah  Ahben  proved  an  adept  in  the  business.  He  was 
soon  made  overseer  of  a  gang  of  men  by  his  master  and  was 
sent  about  the  country  with  written  permission,  a  requisite,  to 
make  contracts,  and  superintend  the  work.  He  proved  so  suc- 
cessful that  his  owner  voluntarily  gave  him  a  percentage  of  the 
profits  in  order  to  stimulate  him  in  making  advantageous  con- 
tracts and  doing  his  work  well  and  rapidly.  Bah  Ahben  was  still 
so  successful  that  he  was  not  long  in  acquiring  sufficient  money 
to  purchase  his  father's  freedom,  and  then  his  mother's.  Later 
he  bought  his  own  freedom.  Then  he  took  his  father  and  mother 
and  moved  to  the  Teche  in  Louisiana  near  his  elder  sister ;  where 
he  still  pursued  his  avocation  and  still  prospered.  His  younger 
sister  had  become  so  much  attached  to  her  new  home  in  North 
Carolina  and  to  her  young  mistress  that  she  refused  to  leave. 
Bah  Ahben  soon  secured  the  freedom  of  Lida ;  but  sh'e  also  de- 
clined to  leave  her  home.  She  was  actuated  by  a  different  mo- 
tive and  cause. 

Her  young  master  had  become  so  dc  facto  as  well  as  de  jure. 
She  was  the  mother  of  a  handsome  mulatto  daughter,  who  was 
born,  free,  soon  after  her  freedom  had  been  bought. 

Later  on  this  daughter  also  became  the  mother  of  a  daughter, 
who  was  nearly  white.  This  girl  grew  to  be  a  beautiful  and 
handsome  woman,  and  became  decidedly  cultured,  because  she 
was  trained  in  the  households  of  her  grandmother's  former  mas- 


The  Dark  Question  of  America.  187 

ters  along  with  their  daughters.  In  turn  she  became  the  mother 
of  a  remarkably  beautiful  daughter,  who  showed  no  trace  of 
negro  either  in  feature  or  color. 

This  child  grew  to  be  a  very  beautiful  and  exceedingly  lovely 
girl.  She  was  sent  to  the  public  school  in  New  Orleans  and  was 
finally  sent  to  school  in  Paris. 

While  returning  to  New  Orleans,  after  receiving  a  thorough 
education  in  Paris,  she  became  acquainted  with  a  French  gentle- 
man on  board  the  steamship  who  proved  to  be  one  of  the  largest 
of  the  owners  thereof.  The  steamer  was  one  of  several  other 
steamships  of  the  same  line  plying  between  New  Orleans  and 
Havre.  The  French  gentleman  paid  her  every  and  very  marked 
attention. 

Afterward,  a  year  or  a  little  more,  he  bought  a  large  sugar  plan- 
tation, a  vast  estate,  on  the  Laforouche,  for  which  he  paid  a  large 
sum  of  money  and  established  her  on  it  as  mistress  of  the  prem- 
ises. 


1 88  The  Lady  of  New  Orleans. 


CHAPTER  XXXII. 

MYSTERY  OF   MAROUAND. 

About  three  and  a  half  years  after  Alpha  Millyard  and  his 
bride  left  New  Orleans  we  find  them  residing  in  an  elegant  man- 
sion in  the  midst  of  the  gayest  and  most  fashionable  part  of  the 
giddy  and  great  city  of  New  York,  and  entertaining  lavishly. 
Their  functions  were  the  most  notable  of  the  season.  There 
seemed  no  end  of  their  extensive  and  expensive  enterta.inmen.ts-. 
It  was  quite  a  distinguished  honor  to  be  invited  and  the  proper 
thing  to  attend  them. 

There  had  been  born  to  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Millyard  while  in  Paris 
a  beautiful  girl  and  a  handsome  boy,  Mittie  and  De  Ampbert. 
They  were  bright,  intelligent  and  lovely  children.  Mittie  w'as 
possessed  of  very  fair  skin,  but  was  a  brunette;  her  eyes  were 
dark  brown.  De  Ampbert  was  inclined  to  be  light-haired  with 
bright,  shining,  cerulean  blue  eyes.  The  Millyards  were  still  like 
young  lovers ;  their  friends  and  acquaintances  in  New  York  re- 
marked much  about  how  devoted  they  were  to  each  other. 

Mrs.  Millyard  without  objecting,  objected  to  Mr.  Millyard 
engaging  in  any  kind  of  active  business,  only  to  look  for  safe 
investments  for  their  surplus  income.  But  of  course  Mr.  Mill- 
yard,  being  now  very  high  up  in  the  world  must  needs  be  a  mem- 
ber of  some  of  the  best  of  clubs.  But  he  was  "  at  home  "  most 
of  the  time.  One  day  Mrs.  Millyard,  ever  as  gently  as  formerly 
remarked : 

"  Darling,  do  you  not  prefer  to  reside  in  New  Orleans  in  pref- 
erence to  New  York  ?  The  weather  is  so  cold  and  variable  here. 
In  New  Orleans  it  is  so  much  better  climate  in  which  to  bring  up 
our  little  baby  children.  Besides,  the  environment  there  is  so 
much  more  congenial  to  me." 

"  Yes,  my  dear  wine ;  I  would  much  prefer  New  Orleans,  es- 
pecially on"  account  of  you  and  the  children,  only  I  have  such 
horrible  memories  of  my  sad  experience  there.     I  would  like  very 


Mystery  of  Marquand.  189 

much  to  know  if  that  abomination,  Bertha,  has  left  there,  or  what 
has  become  of  her.  I  believe  I  will  write  Mike  Delarue  and  as- 
certain. If  she  is  not  there  to  shoot  you,  as  she  tried  to  do  the 
day  we  were  married,  I  would  gladly  return  there  and  reside  the 
remainder  of  our  lives.  I  regard  New  Orleans  as  the  finest  and 
most  cosmopolitan  city  in  the  world,  and  you  know  I  have  been 
to  nearly  all  of  them.  New  York  is  not  suited  to  me,  or,  rather, 
I  to  it.  We  have  drifted  into  the  most  extravagant  fashionable 
set  in  New  York ;  they  look  for  us  to  give  a  function,  as  they  call 
it,  every  fortnight  or  two.  It  is  a  perfect  bore  to  me.  I  think 
we  had  better  discontinue  them  after  this  next  one." 

"  That  is  my  idea  also,  Alpha  de'ar,"  she  replied.  "  I  care 
nothing  for  society,  only  your  society." 

"  And  I  yours,"  he  returned.  "  I  go  to  one  of  the  clubs  and 
soon  get  weary  and  bored.  I  have  to  come  right  back  to  you  to 
get  cheered  from  lethargy." 

'  That  is  very  sweet  and  lovely.     I  am  glad  you  do." 

"  Well,  we  will  break  off  from  functions  after  this  one  next 
week.  We  can  do  so  by  making  a  visit  to  New  Orleans  the  re- 
mainder of  the  winter  and  for  Mardi  Gras,  if  we  do  not  move 
there.     We  can  so  inform  our  guests  and  that  will  he  sufficient 


excuse." 


"  Tradition,  the  mother  of  History,  teaches  me  that  I  am  the 
descendant  of  a  king,  also  that  my  ancestors  were  a  very  long- 
lived  race  of  people  on  the  dark  continent.  That  my  great  great- 
grandfather, who  was  kidnapped  and  brought  to  this  country,  was 
over  one  hundred  years  of  age  when  he  died,  which  was  some 
seventy-five  or  eighty  years  ago.  His  grandfather  was  over  one 
hundred  years  old  when  he  died  in  Africa.  And  his  grandfather 
was  near  one  hundred  and  twenty  years  of  age  when  he  died ; 
that  he  was  a  king  and  had  a  vast  country  over  which  he  ruled.  It 
is  also  a  part  of  our  family  tradition  that  nine  of  my  male  line 
progenitors  in  consecutive  order  carried  their  history  back  to  3 
great  event  in  our  country,  the  facts  about  which,  as  I  know  them, 
I  shall  be  glad  to  tell  you  some'  time.  They  are  pronounced  ex- 
tremely interesting.  Although  I  am  a  negro  and  was  a  slave,  I 
was  educated  and  speak  French." 

"  Your  remarks  are  interesting.  I  may  be  free  to  say,  you  are 
what  may  be  termed  more  than  the  average  colored  man  in  point 
of  intelligence.    That  is  why  I  have  made  it  a  point  to  have  you 


190  The  Lady  of  New  Orleans. 

wait  upon  me  more  than  I  otherwise  would.  When  we  have  the 
opportunity  I  shall  be  pleased  to  have  you  tell  me  more  about 
yourself  and  your  family  history.  At  present,  when  you  get  me 
a  poussc  cafe  I  must  go  up-town." 

These  speakers  were  Mr.  Alpha  Millyard  and  J.  Robert  Dick- 
son, commonly  called  "  Bob,"  who  was  one  of  the  servants  of 
the  club. 

;'  I  say,  Mr.  Le  Roy,  that  is  an  awfully  interesting  fellow,  that 
colored  boy  Bob.  He  has  a  history.  He  was  telling  me  a  bit  of 
it  a  while  ago.  He  uses  much  better  language  than  any  of  these 
other  colored  men.  He  confidentially  intimated  that  there  is  a 
dark  mystery  surrounding  him  or  some  one  of  his  family,  which, 
were  all  the  facts  known,  would  produce  a  profound  sensation  in 
society.  I  wish  now  I  had  questioned  him  concerning  it.  But  he 
soon  got  off  the  track  on  to  something  about  his  ancestors." 

Mr.  Alpha  Millyard  was  addressing  Mr.  Gerald  Con  Le  Roy. 
They  were  walking  toward  the  door  to  leave  the  club.  They  had, 
separately,  been  partaking  of  lunch  and  wine.  Mr.  Le  Roy  re- 
plied : 

"  I  have  thought  on  several  occasions  there  was  in  him,  or  of 
him,  something  more  than  the  ordinary,  and  have,  therefore,  ob- 
served him  more  closely  than  I  have  any  of  the  other  servants. 
I  have  reflected  that  this  is  probably  because  he  is  so  very  bright 
in  color,  so  striking  in  appearance  and  speaks,  as  you  say,  with 
such  fluency  and  precision  in  language  as  compared  with  other 
colored  men,  or  negroes,  as  they  are  more  correctly  designated." 

Mr.  Le  Roy  was  a  gentleman  in  New  York  who  was  possessed 
of  a  large  income  and  lived  in  mose  elegant  leisure.  His  time 
being  devoted  to  clubs,  receptions  and  society  in  general. 

"  By  the  way,"  said  Millyard,  "  I  believe  I  will  ask  Bob  if  he 
can  assist  at  our  function  next  Thursday  night.  He  will  materially 
augment  the  personnel  of  our  servants." 

"  Capital  idea.  You  could  not  have  made  a  better  suggestion," 
said  Mr.  Gerald  Con  Le  Roy. 

As  these  two  gentlemen  were  nearing  the  door  Bob  accosted 
Mr.  Millyard  and,  asking  to  speak  with  him  privately  a  moment, 
said : 

"  I  trust,  Mr.  Millyard,  you  will  do  me  the  kindness  not  to 
mention  anything  of  which  I  have  spoken  to  you.  Not,  however, 
that  I  have  the  right  to  ask  your  confidence,  but  because  I  should 
not  have  been  so  bold  as  to  intrude  any  of  my  personal  matters 


Mystery  of  Marquand.  191 

on  so  noble  a  gentleman,  me  a  servant,  when  it  was  of  no  con- 
cern to  you.  And,  in  reality,  I  apologize  for  my  impudent  au- 
dacity." 

"  That  is  all  right,  Bob,"  replied  Millyard.  "  You  will  under- 
stand that  it  is  I  who  am  to  blame,  if  either  of  us  are,  because  I 
was  an  attentive  listener  to  your  wonderful  personal  history.  You 
may  be  a  prince  of  a  realm  in  Africa.  I  shall  be  glad  to  have  you 
tell  me  more  of  yourself  at  some  future  time.  Meantime,  there 
is  to  be  a  reception  and  banquet  at  the  residence  of  Madame  Mill- 
yard  next  Thursday  evening,  and,  without  having  consulted  her 
or  our  steward  upon  the  subject,  I  take  the  liberty  of  asking  if  we 
can  have  your  services  on  that  occasion  ?  " 

"  I  shall  be  highly  honored  to  have  the  pleasure,"  said  Bob, 
"  provided  I  can  secure  leave  of  absence  from  the  club." 

"  I  will  make  that  all  right,"  suggested  Millyard.  "  You  may 
consider  yourself  engaged  and  be  at  my  residence  next  Thursday 
evening  and  report  to  the  steward." 

The  two  gentlemen  departed  from  the  club ;  Bob  returned  to  his 
duties.     He  was  called  by  a  gentleman  seated  at  one  of  the  tables. 

"  Can  you  tell  me,"  he  asked,  "  the  name  of  the  gentleman  with 
the  curled  mustache  and  imperial?  The  one  with  the  light  over- 
coat on  his  arm  ?  " 

"  Yes,  sir,"  replied  Bob.  "  That  is  Mr.  Alpha  Millyard.  He 
is  a  member  here  and  resides  up-town." 

'What  is  his  business?"  he  asked,  stroking  his  big  mustache 
and  eying  Bob  sideways. 

"  I  think,  sir,  he  has  no  particular  business,"  Bob  replied  cau- 
tiously. '  He  is  a  wealthy  gentleman  who  lives  upon  his  income 
and,  like  many  other  New  York  gentlemen,  he  is  taking  life 
easy." 


How  long  has  he  been  here  ?  ' 


'  That  I  could  not  tell  you,  sir.  He  seems  to  be  one  of  the  most 
popular  gentlemen  who  attends  the  club." 

"  I  am  almost  sure  I  met  him  in  Paris  about  three  years  ago," 
said  the  stranger.  "  It  was  under  most  extraordinary  circum- 
stances.    I  think  his  name  is  Marquand." 

'  Marquand  ?  "  repeated  Bob,  in  astonishment,  showing  consid- 
erable agitation. 

"  You  are  surprised.  Do  you  know  anything  of  Marquand?  " 
calmly  spoke  the  gentleman. 

"  I  have  heard  of  him,  sir,"  Bob  replied,   fumbling  with  the. 
tableware  and  napkins,  pretending  to  be  busy. 


192  The  Lady  of  New  Orleans. 

"  What  have  you  heard  of  him  ?  " 

"  If,  sir,  you  will  excuse  me,  I  had  rather  not  answer." 

"  You  do  know  something  of  him,  though  ?  What  is  your 
name  ?  " 

"  Dickson,  sir ;  J.  Robert  Dickson." 

"  Where  did  you  come  from,  where  were  vou  raised?  " 

"  Partly  in  Alabama,  Louisiana  and  Georgia." 

"  Where  in  Louisiana  ?  " 

"  Up  in  Laforouche." 

"  Are  you  old  man  Dick  Boufillet's  son,  bv  his  housekeeper  ? 
The  one  they  called  Dick's  son  because  his  father  was  nicknamed 
Dick?" 

"  Yes,  sir.  But  you  have  the  advantage  of  me.  May  I  ask 
you  to  please  tell  me  your  name  ?  " 

"  Do  you  remember  Hatch  ? — Colonel  Hatch  ?  " 

"  O,  sir!    Do  not  tell  me  that  you  are  Colonel  Frank  Hatch?  " 

"  Yes,  but  I  do.  Now  I  want  you  to  tell  me  what  you  know 
about  Marquand.  He  is  the  Frenchman  who  plotted  a  swindle 
by  which  I  was  robbed  of  nearly  two  hundred  thousand  francs, 
and  this  man.  looks  exactly  like  him." 

"  I  am  sure,  sir,"  replied  Bob,  "  this  gentleman  you  refer  to  is 
not  that  man  Marquand.  Because  Monsieur  Marquand  is  still  in 
Paris  and  will  not  venture  to  come  to  the  United  States.  This 
gentleman,  Mr.  Millyard,  is  not  a  Frenchman.  He  is  an  Ameri- 
can, from  the  South  somewhere." 

"  He  looks  like  a  Frenchman  and  speaks  like  one." 

"  O,  that  may  be,"  said  Bob,  shrugging  his  shoulders.  "  He 
has  beer*  residing  in  Paris,  I  think." 

"  Then  you  know  of  a  mystery  about  Marquand  ?  " 

"  Yes,  sir,"  said  Bob,  agitatedly. 

"  Were  you  in  Paris  ?  " 

"  No,  sir." 

"  When  Marquand  married " 

"  You  will  have  to  excuse  me,  sir,"  said  Bob  abruptly,  "  the 
head  waiter  is  calling  me." 

Colonel  Hatch  sat  for  a  while  after  eating  his  lunch,  seemingly 
absorbed  in  intense  thought.     Presently  he  muttered : 

"  If  I  could  just  get  that  nigger  to  tell  me  what  he  knows  I 
believe  I  could  solve  the  whole  mystery.  I  will  try  and  make  hin 
tell  me." 


Awful  Revelation.  193 


CHAPTER  XXXIII. 

AWFUL   REVELATION. 

New  York  City  in  its  grandeur  and  sublimity  of  magnificent 
proportions  was  at  this  time  one  vast  scene  of  beauty  in  all  that 
makes  up  a  grand  metropolis  of  a  grand,  unequaled  Nation.  The 
balmy  air  of  nearly  two  weeks  ot  uninterrupted  sunshine  in  the 
month  of  January  had  animated  all  nature.  Every  nerve  and 
fiber  were  tensioned  to  the  utmost.  The  ever  present  sparrow 
abounded  in  gleeful  joy.  The  people  moved  with  all  the  degrees 
of  motion.  The  policemen  promenaded  more  alertly.  The  shops 
were  crowded.  The  cafes  were  full  and  were  filling  the  people 
while  the  people  still  filled  them.  The  newsboys'  yell  was  inces- 
sant. The  evening  shades  were  gathering  fast  and  the  gas  lamps 
brightened  up  everywhere.  Activities  had  increased  in  the  gay 
world  of  fashion  to  such  extent  that  only  those,  apparently,  who 
were  having  functions  of  their  own  remained  at  home  in  the 
evenings.  Spacious  opera-houses,  theaters  and  halls  were 
crowded  with  cheerful,  happy  people  seeking  recreation  and 
amusement  during  the  first  warm  spell  after  a  hitherto  bitter  cold 
winter. 

It  was  thus  amid  such  scenes  in  life  that  on  Thursday  evening 
the  much-talked-of  grand  function  of  the  Millyards  had  come  to 
pass.  Overjoyed  beauty  shone  resplendent.  The  loveliest  women 
of  New  York  city  and  many  from  surrounding  cities  and  some 
from  Europe  were  gracing  the  occasion.  The  whole  mansion  was 
turned  into  one  grand  salon,  as  it  were.  Madame  Millyard  was 
in  glorious  ecstasy  making  her  guests  happy.  Lovely  compli- 
ments showered  upon  her  thick  and  fast. 

Alpha  Millyard  was  the  happiest  man  in  America  He  made 
himself  delightfully  entertaining. 

When  the  guests  were  admitted  to  the  dining-hall  they  beheld 
one  of  the  most  gorgeous  decorations  of  the  season.  Flowers  and 
13 


194  The  Lady  of  New  Orleans. 

evergreens,  representatives  from  all  over  the  world  and  of  every 
season,  were  in  profusion.  The  music  was  the  sweetest  that  the 
best  bands  in  New  York  could  make.  All  nature  was  personified 
in  one  grand  realistic  Eden  of  bliss  and  glory.  Such  as  can  be 
conceived  only  with  less  vividness  or  pictured  with  pen  less  graphi- 
cally than  in  the  actuality. 

The  higher  ideal,  that  more  elevated  walk  and  disposition  of 
man ;  that  more  sublime  degree  of  human  attainment,  that  pleasur- 
able exultation  of  soulful  enjoyment,  that  mind  and  nerve  thrilling 
pleasurable  sensation  which  makes  this  life  sweet  to  others  as  well 
as  to  oneself,  is  an  ennobling  of  the  soul  so  that  it  leads  on  to  the 
link  that  connects  Man  and  his  mother  to  the  One  in  whose  image 
they  were  created.  Those  who  do  not  revel  in  the  conventionalities 
of  etiquette,  of  which  there  is  no  better  anglicized  word,  and  func- 
tions, which  is  not  so  good,  cannot  be  considered  as  consorting 
with  this  blissful  class  of  men  and  women.  It  is  the  self-pre- 
servative law  the  abiding  of  which  entitles  Man  to  fulfil  his  mis- 
sion in  the  image  of  his  Maker. 

Reverting  to  the  mulatto  negro,  Bob,  in  the  club:  Next  day 
Mr.  Millyard  secured  his  leave  of  absence  for  Thursday  evening, 
and  Bob  again  promised  to  be  present. 

"  By  the  way,  Bob,"  said  Millyard,  "  who  was  that  gentleman 
with  the  large  mustache  and  long  whiskers  who  sat  at  the  farthest 
table  obliquely  across  from  Mr.  Con  Le  Roy  and  myself  yesterday 
afternoon  with  whom  you  spoke  as  we  were  leaving?  " 

This  was  evidently  a  surprising  question  to  Bob ;  he  showed  it. 
Hesitating,  however,  for  only  a  moment  or  two.  Bob  replied : 

"  I  think,  sir,  he  is  a  gentleman  from  the  South  somewhere.  He 
was  only  introduced  into  the  club." 

"  Did  you  learn  his  name?  " 

"  I  think,  sir,  he  said  his  name  was  Hatch,  or  something  like 
that." 

"Hatch,  Hatch?     What  Hatch?" 

"  Captain  or  General,  or  some  military  title.  He  was  here  only 
a  short  time.     I  think  he  left  town  last  night." 

'  What  an  odd-looking  man  he  was.  He  would  attract  the 
attention  of  any  one,  especially  here."  Millyard's  curiosity  was  a 
contrast  to  his  wont. 

'  These  Southerners  are  all  that  way,"  said  Bob.  "  They  seem 
to  want  to  appear  odd.  They  are  a  very  queer  people.  I  was 
reared  among  them  and  I  know  all  about  them." 


Awful  Revelation.  195 

"  I  dare  say,"  retorted  Millyard.  "  I  am  also  ever  interested 
by  those  enthusiastically  chivalrous  and  patriotic  people  of  the 
South.  Though  I  am  of  the  South  myself.  Therefore  I  can 
speak  of  them  plainly.  They  are  like  princes  and  they  are  Shy- 
locks.  They  loan  freely  like  a  beggar  and  collect  like  a  national 
bank.  They  are  kings  and  they  are  serfs.  They  fill  the  empire 
with  their  infection  wherever  they  visit.  The  Madame  is  also  a 
Southerner.  I  should  think  you  would  have  remained  in  the 
South  ?  " 

"  I  would,  sir,  only  I  came  North  in  search  of  a  niece ;  my  funds 
having  become  exhausted  I  had  to  settle  down  to  business." 

"  Did  you  ever  find  your  niece  ?  " 

"  No,  sir ;  I  suppose  she  i:  still  in  France.  We  heard  she  had 
come  to  New  York,  but  I  cannot  find  her." 

"  A  strange  fancy  has  attracted  me  towards  you,"  said  Mill- 
yard.  "  In  fact  I  may  say,  while  I  do  not  wish  to  take  you  away 
from  the  club,  I  am  inclineu  to  think  you  would  suit  me  for  a 
valet." 

"  Ah,  indeed !  That  would  give  me  pleasure.  I  hope  you  can 
see  your  way  clear  to  make  the  proposal." 

"  I  will  see  about  it,"  said  Millyard,  as  he  arose  from  the  table, 
then  departed. 

Bob  had  made  a  reputation  as  a  servant  and  waiter  by  his  suav- 
ity of  manner  and  elegance  of  speech.  He  was  deferential  and  re- 
spectful. 

The  chatter  of  speech  at  the  Millyard  banquet  was  drowned 
by  itself  within  the  limits  of  a  narrow  circle.  Bob,  in  faultless  at- 
tire, was  conspicuous  at  every  important  and  opportune  moment. 
Wit  and  humor,  repartee  and  surrejoinder,  with  merry  laughter 
interlarded,  reigned  supreme. 

It  was  toward  the  close  of  the  feast  when  Bob  passed  down  the 
hall  to  the  end  of  a  table  where  sat  Madame  Millyard. 

Bob  suddenly  stood  still  and,  gazing  at  the  Madame  a  moment, 
exclaimed  :    "  Rittea,  my  niece  !  " 

His  waiter,  with  whatever  was  on  it,  fell  splashing  on  the  floor, 
while  he  stood  transfixed  as  a  statue. 

Only  those  persons  sitting  near  at  hand  heard  the  words  Bob 
had  uttered.  But  the  words  he  spoke  were  passed  along  the 
lines. 

There  was  only  a  slight  commotion  among  the  servants.  Two 
of  them  carried  out  a  "  waiter  who  had  fainted." 


196  The  Lady  of  New  Orleans. 

One  of  the  leading  ladies  of  society,  who  was  seated  near  Mrs. 
Millyard,  abruptly  arose,  saying  aloud  in  angry  tones : 

"  She  a  negress  ?  I  will  remain  here  no  longer.  I,  for  one, 
will  take  my  departure."  So  saying,  she  proceeded  to  take  her 
departure. 

Other  guests  did  likewise.  The  frivolous  revelers  followed 
pair  by  pair,  singly  and  in  squads.  Finally  the  banquet-hall  was 
deserted.  When  the  last  person,  a  sympathetic  lady,  who  lingered 
in  sadness,  had  disappeared  through  the  front  door  Mrs.  Millyard 
fainted  and  fell  hard,  but  upon  a  soft-carpeted  floor.  Mr.  Mill- 
yard  rushed  to  her  rescue.  The  faithful  maid,  Sarah,  yelled  for 
the  steward,  the  old  reliable,  stiff-backed  Frenchman.  He  and  all 
the  regular  family  servants  came  rushing  to  the  scene.  Mr.  Mill- 
yard  gathered  his  wife  in  his  arms  and,  aided  by  Louis  and  Sarah, 
placed  her  on  a  divan  in  the  drawing-room.  Mr.  Millvard  asked 
Sarah  to  get  the  camphor  and  o-dered  the  steward  to  run  for  the 
nearest  doctor,  quick. 

Meantime  Louis  had  delivered  Bob  to  a  policeman,  who  carried 
him  to  a  police  station. 

"  O,  goodness!  Rittea,  Sweetie,  please  speak  to  me,"  sooth- 
ingly said  Millyard,  leaning  over  and  softly  wiping  her  face. 
"  What  is  the  matter  ?  I  heard  what  those  people  said  about  you, 
my  darling,  and  what  they  said  that  waiter  said.  But,  Sweetie, 
I  have  heard  that  story  before.  Bertha  taunted  me  with  it  before 
we  were  married.  I  paid  no  attention  to  it  then;  she  was  jealous. 
This  man  may  confirm  it,  yet  I  shall  still  give  it  no  heed.  I  am 
your  husband  forever."  He  was  so  distressed  he  did  not  observe 
that  she  was  oblivious  to  what  he  was  saying. 

Camphor  was  quickly  administered,  also  other  restoratives.  Be- 
fore the  physician  arrived  Madame  Millyard  had  revived.  Find- 
ing her  husband  holding  her  head  in  his  arms  on  his  lap  she  said : 

"  Darling  husband,  are  von  mortified  with  me?  " 

"  My  darling  Sweetie,  for  what?  I  told  you  just  now  I  have 
heard  of  something  like  this  before — from  that  Bertha.  But  I  did 
not  believe  it,  for  I  knew  Bertha  was  jealous.  Even  if  it  is  true  it 
shall  not  change  my  love  and  devotion  for  you.  We  have  now  our 
two  bright  little  children  to  care  for  and  not  for  what  other  people 
say  or  do." 

"  Yes,  dear,  but  it  casts  us  out  of  society  in  Xew  York  and  ruins 
the  future  prospects  of  our  children." 

Kissing  her  several  times  and  raising  her  to  a  sitting  posture 
partially,  Mr.  Millyard  said : 


Awful  Revelation.  107 

"  As  for  society,  I  care  nothing.  But  I  do  care,  darling,  for  our 
sweet  girl,  Mittie,  and  our  son,  De  Ampbert.  We  must  now  look 
to  them  as  well  as  to  ourselves.  I  love  you  just  as  sweetly  and 
devotedly  as  I  ever  did,  if  not  more  so.  You  are  not  friendless 
nor  loveless." 

"  Ah,  to  hear  you  say  that  is  so  sweet.  But,  my  dear  husband, 
how  can  you  forgive  me  for  not  telling:  you?  I  am  not  that  man's 
niece.  But,  Alpha,  dear,  he  is  in  reality  a  blood  relation.  It  is  on 
my  poor  mother's  side.  My  mother  has  not  shown  herself  outside 
of  my  house  since  I  returned  from  school  in  Paris,  where  she  was 
educated  before  me.  You  did  not  see  my  mother.  I  did  not  wish 
you  to  see  her.  Because  I  was  afraid  if  you  did  you  would  cease 
to  love  me.  She  is  as  white  as  anv  white  person  and  is  better  edu- 
cated, more  polished  and  refined  than  ninety  one-hundredths  of  the 
people.  I  did  not  see,  with  my  education  and  my  wealth,  which 
my  father  gave  me  for  the  purpose  of  protecting  me  in  the  world 
and  in  society,  why  I  should  not  marry  to  my  liking,  a  man  of  my 
choice,  a  man  whom  I  loved  and  who  would  love  me.  It  was 
love,  pure  love  for  myself  that  I  wanted.  But  the  man  I  loved  was 
the  man  I  wanted  to  love  me.  That  man  was  you.  I  have  not  in- 
truded myself  upon  societv.  Societv  has  intruded  itself  upon  me. 
Why  ?  Because  you  and  I  have  been  liberal,  yea,  even  lavish  with 
society  as  well  as  in  charity.  God  knows  I  have  intended  no 
wrong.  In  my  ,/ork  of  charity  I  was  at  the  Charity  ball  at  the 
Odd-Fellows'  Hall.  I  saw  you.  From  that  moment  I  longed  for 
you,  I  loved  you.  And  when  the  opportunity  divinely  presented 
itself  I  determined  to  befriend  you,  as  I  already  knew  that  you 
were  innocent  of  the  vile  charges  against  you,  hoping  thereby  to 
win  your  sweet  love  in  return  for  mine.  Can  you  forgive  me,  and 
condone  my  error  and — love  me  ?  " 

"  Forgive  and  condone  ?  "  gently  but  rapturously  spoke  Mill- 
yard.  "  There  is  none  necessary,  Sweetie.  There  is  nothing  you 
have  done  to  forgive  and  nothing,  not  a  thing,  to  condone.  As  for 
love,  I  do  not  comprehend  how  I  can  love  you  any  more  than  I  do. 
I  am  just  absolutely  yours  so  much  already  that  I  am  not  any  of 
my  own.  You  are  the  dearest,  sweetest  woman  on  earth.  Con- 
template those  people  who  were  here  to-night;  the  elite. ladies  and 
gentlemen  of  New  York,  the  most  fashionable  of  the  world,  each 
one  separately  and  collectively,  paving  you  unreserved  homage  and 
showering  compliments  that  would  have  turned  the  head  of  a 
Queen  Elizabeth.     But  you  were  just  the  same.     I  know  you,  as 


198  The  Lady  of  New  Orleans. 

you  said  of  me,  and  I  love  you,  Sweetie.  I  live  for  you  and  none 
beside,  save  the  children." 

"  I  am  so  happy,  yet  so  mortified,"  she  said,  sweetly,  but  with  a 
gentle  sigh. 

"  Repeat  that  first  part,  Sweetie.  And  tell  me  you  will  not 
mood  over  this  episode;  won't  you,  please?  " 

"  I  am  happy,  dear ;  you  talk  so  sweetly.  I  will  not  mood  over 
it  if  you  will  not  think  of  it." 

"  I  have  no  need  to  think  of  it  any  more  than  heretofore.  My 
mind  is  more  concerned  in  you." 

"  I  am  glad  we  informed  those  people  that  this  would  be  our 
last  function  and  that  we  expect  to  leave  here  soon." 

"  Yes,  that  was  fortunate,"  responded  Millyard.  "  By  the  way, 
I  received  a  letter  from  Mr.  Delarue  this  afternoon  which  I  have 
not  read." 

"  Can  you  read  it  to  me?  " 

He  read,  part  of  which  was  as  follows : 

"  My  dear  Mr.  Millyard: — I  have  not  had  time  to  write  you 
recently.  I  received  yours  two  or  three  days  ago.  Glad  to  hear  you 
and  yours  are  so  well.  You  ask  about  Bertha  ;  her  bodv  was  found 
in  Lake  Pontchartrain  the  other  day  near  where  we  saw  Sam 
Wax.  bathing.  It  is  supposed  she  drowned  herself.  A  young 
man  was  in  bathing  with  her,  but  he  did  not  see  her  drown,  it 
seems.  Villeguini  also  figures  in  the  case.  But,  as  you  know,  they 
will  not  catch  up  with  him.  I  now  own  all  of  this  wholesale  gro- 
cery store,  also  the  home  where  I  live  on  Camp  street,  and  have  the 
prettiest  little  girl  in  New  Orleans.  Come  home.  You  have  pro- 
tracted your  honeymoon  long  enough.  I  never  took  a  week  and 
did  not  get  so  far  away  as  Beloxi  City,  etc. 

"  Yours  sincerely, 

"  Mike  Delarue." 

"  Well,  Bertha  is  out  of  the  way  of  harming  either  you  or  me," 
remarked  Millyard  when  he  finished  reading  the  letter. 

"  We  will  close  house  here  and  go  to  New  Orleans  immediately, 
will  we  not,  dear  Alpha  ?  " 

"  Yes,  dear ;  as  soon  as  we  can  get  ready." 

"  What  became  of  that  dreadful  man  who  has  ruthlessly  blighted 
our  lives  in  New  York?  "  asked  Mrs.  Millyard. 

"  Louis  had  him  sent  to  the  station-house.     But  if  he  is  really 


Awful  Revelation.  199 

related  to  you  I  shall  go  in  the  morning  and  have  him  released. 
If  you  consent,  I  will  bring  him  here  and  make  him  my  valet." 

"  I  prefer  not  to  see  him  again,"  she  said.  "  He  was  so  impru- 
dent. Besides,  let  him  go  to  his  real  niece  in  Paris.  She  is  there. 
She  is  the  Madame  Marquand  who  created  the  sensation  at  one 
of  our  salons.  She  is  a  cousin  of  mine,  but  I  did  not  think  it  worth 
while  to  mention  it  then  and  only  do  so  now  incidentally." 

"  She  is  one  of  the  leaders  in  Parisian  society,"  suggested  Mr. 
Millyard. 

"  Of  course.  That  is  why  I  did  not  mention  to  you  our  rela- 
tionship. I  did  not  wish  that  you  or  I  should  be  subservient  to 
any  one,  or  they  to  us.  Particularly  on  account  of  relationship  to 
me." 

4  You  are  a  thoroughbred,  my  Sweetie.    Do  you  love  me  ?  " 

"  I  adore  you  ;  just  worship  you  !  " 

:'  It  is  mutual,  my  love.  I  think  it  would  be  better  to  have  that 
fellow  released  to-night  and  not  have  a  trial  about  the  matter  in 
court.  That  would  cause  the  whole  affair  to  be  made  public 
through  the  newspapers." 

'  You  are  quite  thoughtful.    That  is  the  best  course  to  pursue." 

Mr.  Millyard  immediately  wrote  a  note  to  the  police  official 
requesting  the  release  of  J.  Robert  Dickson,  on  the  ground  that  his 
arrest  was  a  mistake  and  that  he  had  no  charge  to  prefer  against 
him,  and  sent  the  note  by  Louis,  who  ordered  the  arrest. 

One  can  look  back  and  see  why  Mrs.  Millyard  had  been  so 
anxious  that  Mr.  Millyard  should  not  meet  Bertha  Rosenstin,  or 
if  he  did  that  he  pay  no  attention  to  what  she  said.  She  knew  that 
Bertha,  having  heard  of  her  contemplated  marriage  with  Mr. 
Millyard,  would  cast  a  slur  upon  her  birth  and  blood.  When 
Millyard  had  not  shown  that  she  did  Miss  de  Ampbert  was  happy. 

A  few  days  afterward  Alpha  Millyard  and  Madame  Rittea  de 
Ampbert  Millyard,  "  the  lady  of  New  Orleans,"  caused  such  of 
their  household  effects  as  they  desired  in  New  Orleans  to  be 
shipped  by  steamer,  the  chef  and  servants  accompanying  them. 
Louis,  the  steward,  and  Sarah,  the  maid,  remained  to  accompany 
Mr.  and  Mrs.  Millyard  and  the  children  over  the  country  by 
railroad. 

Their  house  in  New  York  city  was  leased  for  a  term  of  years 
to  a  down-town  banker  and  broker. 

Before  leaving  New  York,  Millyard  wrote  Delarue  a  letter  giv- 
ing information  of  their  return  to  New  Orleans,  as  he  requested, 
after  a  contemplated  stop-over  in  North  Carolina. 


200  The  Lady  of  New  Orleans. 


CHAPTER  XXXIV. 

DOWN    IN    NORTH    CAROLINA. 

Mr.  Millyard  had  explained  to  his  wife  that  he  was  receiving 
such  encouraging  reports  from  the  investment  he  made  in  North 
Carolina  when  he  was  over  from  France  that  he  thought  it  advis- 
able to  stop  over,  as  they  would  pass  within  about  sixty  miles  of 
the  works  on  their  way  to  New  Orleans. 

Accordingly  we  find  them  at  Hickory  where  Mr.  Galen  Dalgal 
and  his  charming  wife,  the  erstwhile  fiancee  of  Mr.  Millyard, 
were  doing  the  honors  of  the  occasion  in  delightful  style.  Mr. 
Millyard  before  leaving  New  York  had  telegraphed  Mr.  Dalgal 
of  his  coming. 

"  Mr.  Dalgal,  my  dreamomaniacal  friend,  is  not  there  a  mine 
or  mines  out  here  somewhere  in  which  you  are  interested  ?  Or  is 
it  one  of  my  dreams,  instead  of  yours?  "  inquired  Mr.  Millyard. 

"  Call  it  dreaming,"  replied  Dalgal,  "  but  let  me  tell  you. 
Alpha,  my  dreamomaniacal  faculties  have  led  me  into  some  very 
pleasing  ventures  and  profitable  business  matters." 

The  two  men  were  seated  on  the  front  veranda  of  Mr.  Dalgal's 
substantial  residence  during  the  first  afternoon  after  the  arrival 
of  the  Millyards,  while  the  children  with  their  attendants  were 
playing  on  the  front  lawn  in  the  oak  grove.  At  this  time  Mr. 
Dalgal  was  the  father  of  a  boy  nearly  three  years  old  and  a  little 
baby  girl.  Although  it  was  January  the  air  was  unusually  balmy 
and  delightfully  pleasant,  even  more  than  it  had  been  during  the 
two  weeks  in  New  York  city. 

"  Ah,  indeed !    Give  me  an  account  of  them,"  replied  Millyard. 

"  In  the  first  place  it  seems  that  I  dreamed  of  making  my  en- 
gagement with  my  wife,  for  she  still  declares  that  we  had  no  such 
conversation  as  I  alleged  when  we  agreed  to  marry."  Mr.  Dalgal 
interspersed  chewing  tobacco,  sometimes  vigorously,  with  his  re- 
marks. "  And  in  the  next  place,  probably  more  properly  in  the 
first  place,  I  had  dreamed  of  making  a  trade  with  Judge  Selia  for 


Down  in  North  Carolina.  201 

a  tract  of  land  over  in  Alexander  county,  and  when  I  talked  to 
him  about  it  the  next  day  we  actually  agreed  to  trade,  provided  I 
would  also  marry  my  wife;  that  was  part  of  the  bargain."  He 
chuckled  into  a  guffaw.  "  Then  I  dreamed  that  there  was  gold 
and  other  rich  minerals  in  the  land.  A  short  while  afterward  a 
gold  miner  expert  and  mineralogist  came  along  and  got  my  per- 
mission to  investigate  and  test  the  land  for  minerals.  He  found 
gold  in  abundance  and  a  green  gem  in  great  quantities.  The  gem 
sparkles  brilliantly  like  a  diamond.  It  is,  in  fact,  a  pure  green 
diamond.  They  are  more  valuable  and  sell  for  twice  or  three 
times  as  much  as  white  diamonds." 

Air.  Millyard  listened  attentively  to  the  fascinating  recital  of 
Mr.  Dalgal  concerning  the  discovery  and  development  of  the  won- 
derful wealth  which  was  concealed  in  the  bosom,  as  it  were,  of  this 
tract  of  land  about  which  he  had  dreamed  the  dream  of  a  dreamer. 
Millyard  asked : 

"  What  will  you  take  for  the  land  and  your  interest  in  the  busi- 
ness, Galen  ?  " 

"  I  never  thought  about  it,  but  I  could  not  think  of  selling  for 
less  than  two  hundred  thousand  spot  cash.  You  see,  I  have  a  con- 
tract with  the  company  through  old  Professor  Alfred  Wortman, 
who  found  it,  whereby  I  receive  a  percentage  of  one-fourth  the 
gross  output,  and  he  and  his  company  pay  all  expenses  whatso- 
ever as  well  as  furnish  the  machinery.  They  made  me  treasurer, 
hence  I  know  what  they  are  doing.  The  business  is  being  con- 
ducted so  quietly,  without  any  ostentation  or  show  of  any  kind, 
that  no  one  outside  of  Professor  Wortman  and  myself  know  the 
extent  of  our  business.  He  is  exceedingly  careful  about  keeping 
the  affair  secret." 

"  How  long  does  the  contract  run,  Galen  ?  "  inquired  Millyard. 
If  he  knew  he  had  forgotten. 

"  Seven  years,"  replied  Dalgal.     "  It  has  over  four  years  morer 
to  run." 

"  You  mean  then,  you  would  take  two  hundred  thousand  dol- 
lars spot  cash  for  a  title  deed  to  the  land  and  your  interest  in  the 
contract?  " 

"  Yes,  I  will  do  that,"  slowly  drawled  Dalgal.  "  But  I  am  not 
hankering  for  any  one  to  come  along  and  take  me  up.  It  may  look 
to  outsiders  as  being  visionary  and  exorbitant,  but  I  am  easy.  My 
share  out  of  it  will  be  very  much  more  than  that,  if  it  pans  out 
like  it  has  been,  long  before  the  contract  expires." 


202  The  Lady  of  New  Orleans. 

"  Well,  Galen,  I  wish  to  say  to  you  before  we  talk  any  further 
about  my  buying  your  interest  or  my  looking  at  the  property,  that 
I  have  come  by  here  on  my  way  from  New  York  to  New  Orleans 
just  to  see  you  and  your  wife  and  to  examine  this  wonderful  mine. 
Your  man,  Professor  Wortman,  accidentally  met  me  in  New  York 
as  I  was  returning  to  Paris  from  New  Orleans  and  I  learned  the 
particulars  about  it  from  him.  He  called  to  see  me  at  my  hotel  in 
New  York  and  showed  me  samples  and  your  letter.  He  told  me 
all  about  your  owning  the  land,  swapping  a  circus  horse  and  a 
worn-out  buggy  for  it.  I  agreed  to  and  did  furnish  him  one  hun- 
dred thousand  dollars  to  develop  your  mines.  I  did  it  on  your  ac- 
count and  because  of  your  marrying  my  old  sweetheart." 

"Great  goodness!  Ain't  that  strange?"  ejaculated  Dalgal. 
"  Well,  well !  Who  would  have  thought  it  ?  Lem-mesee?  It  oc- 
curs to  me  now  that  I  did  dream,  or  some  one  told  me,  an  old 
friend  had  or  would  furnish  me  the  money."  He  said  this 
thoughtfully. 

"  I  enjoined  the  Professor  that  he  should  not  let  you  know  that 
I  had  furnished  you  the  money." 

"  Well,  he  has  not.  I  did  not  know  a  word  of  it  until  you  told 
me  this  very  minute.  This  is  astonishing.  I  must  tell  Lucilla." 
So  saying,  Dalgal  excused  himself  to  Millyard  and,  rushing  in  the 
house,  informed  his  wife.  As  he  entered  the  door  on  returning 
to  the  porch,  Millyard  said : 

"  I  telegraphed  Professor  Wortman  that  I  would  arrive  here 
to-day." 

"  Yes,  he  sent  me  word  that  he  would  be  in  town  this  afternoon 
with  the  wagons  and  also  with  the  two  ambulances,  which  we  use 
instead  of  carriages,  as  he  expected  company  to  go  out  to  the 
works.     I  judge  by  that,  that  he  had  received  your  telegram." 

"  No  doubt,"  said  Millyard.  "  I  sent  it  from  New  York  day 
before  yesterday  at  the  same  time  I  telegraphed  you."  Dalgal 
handed  some  samples  of  the  ore  and  gems  to  Millyard,  who  con- 
tinued :  "  If  this  property  meets  my  expectations,  Galen,  I  shall 
accept  your  proposal  and  give  you  two  hundred  thousand  dol- 
lars for  your  indefeasible  deed  in  fee  simple  to  the  land  and  your 
interest  in  the  contract  with  Wortman  and  his  company.  Has  he 
any  other  one  in  the  company  except  you  and  myself  ?  " 

"  I  have  never  known  who  he  has  in  the  company  with  him,"  re- 
plied Dalgal.  "  Ha  got  the  money  from  some  source  and  said  to 
me  that  it  was  a  confidential  and  private  matter.     It  was  not  ma- 


Down  in  North  Carolina.  203 

terial  to  me.  I  never  dreamed  that  it  was  you,  or  that  you  would 
have  sufficient  interest  in  me  to  invest  so  large  a  sum  of  money  on 
my  account." 

'"  Well,  you  see,  Galen,"  said  Millyard,  smiling,  "  the  truth 
about  the  matter  is  your  dreaming  failed  you  there  ;  it  was  not  so 
much  on  your  account  entirely.  Of  course  I  did  not  invest  so 
large  a  sum  without  some  surety  of  adequate,  if  not  superior,  re- 
turns. It  has  met  my  expectations,  and,  as  I  say,  if  the  property 
shows  up  any  further  tangibility  in  proportion  I  will  venture 
double  that  amount  in  it.  You  hinted  that  it  might  run  out ;  are 
there  any  indications  to  that  effect?  " 

"  I  know  of  none  particularly.  But  you  know  how  all  these 
mining  affairs  are?    There  is  sure  to  be  an  end  of  it  somewhere." 

"  But,  probably  like  gold  mines  and  also  diamond  mines,  as  I 
understand,  they  may  be  worked  over  the  second  time  even  more 
profitably  than  the  first  time,  especially  with  new  methods  and 
improved  machinery,"  suggested  Millyard. 

"  That  is  just  exactly  what  I  have  thought,"  retorted  Dalgal. 
"  And  somebody  told  me,  or  I  dreamed,  that  a  tract  of  land  adjoin- 
ing this  one  to  the  southwest  and  of  the  same  geological  forma- 
tion has  these  gems  and  gold  in  it  and  can  be  purchased  for  a  com- 
paratively small  sum.  If  you  buy  my  interest  you  should  buy 
that  land  also.  By  the  time  you  work  out  this  tract  or  when  the 
contract  expires  you  will  want  this  additional  tract  to  work  on. 
I  would  be  glad  if  you  will  buy  me  out.  Because  that  will  be  as 
much  money  as  I  will  want.  If  you  make  millions  out  of  it,  as 
Professor  Wortmart  seems  to  think  and  strongly  claims  can  be 
done,  I  shall  not  be  sorry,  but  will  be  glad." 

"  All  right,  Galen  ;  I  am  glad  to  hear  you  talk  that  way.  All  of 
us  must  go  there  to-morrow,  your  wife  and  my  wife  and  all  the 
children.  Then  when  I  see  the  property  I  will  tell  you  whether  I 
will  buy.    Is  there  accommodation  for  all  of  us?  " 

'  Yes,  plenty,"  drawled  Dalgal,  assuringly.  "  The  Professor 
has  built  a  log  castle,  as  he  calls  it,  as  spacious  as  a  city  hotel,  and 
has  furnished  it  sumptuously.  You  know,  I  think,  he  had  it  built 
two  years  ago,  looking  forward  to  this  visit.  He  has  often  hinted 
at  a  visit  from  some  celebrity." 

"  I  should  not  be  surprised,"  returned  Millyard.  :<  From  what 
he  has  written  me  he  is  doing  well." 

"  1  guess  you  will  be  quite  agreeably  surprised  when  Professor 
Wortman  shows  you  what  he  has  actually  been  doing." 


204  The  Lady  of  New  Orleans. 

"  Yes,  I  see,"  said  Millyard.  "  Probably  I  better  not  antici- 
pate." 

While  the  fact  was  singular,  yet  the  circumstances  that  brought 
Madame  Millyard  and  Mrs.  Dalgal  together  in  the  same  house  as 
host  and  hostess  were  natural. 


Hiddenite  Diamond  Mines.  205 


CHAPTER  XXXV. 

HIDDENITE   DIAMOND    MINES. 

Professor  Alfred  Wortman  with  his  outfit  of  conveyances 
arrived  in  Hickory  that  night.  He  stopped  at  the  Inn.  A  hotel 
is  an  "  inn  "  in  that  section.  Early  next  morning  he  repaired  to 
the  handsome  residence  of  Mr.  Galen  Dalgal. 

The  party  made  merry,  indulging  in  mutual  explanations  while 
preparing  for  the  eighteen-miles  ride  over  rugged  mountain  roads 
to  the  "  green  diamond  "  mines  in  Alexander  county.  The  trip 
was  to  be  a  new  experience  for  Mrs.  Millyard. 

The  equipment  at  the  green  diamond  mines  and  the  gold  mines, 
which  were  adjoining  and  in  the  same  enclosure  was  a  revelation 
to  Mr.  Millyard.  He  had  not  expected  such  extensive  works  and 
equipments. 

The  whole  place  was  enclosed  with  a  high  plank  wall  as  a  stock- 
ade. There  was  a  large  building  used  by  those  employed  in  both 
the  gold  and  the  green  diamond  mines  as  a  place  where  each  man 
made  a  change  of  clothing,  in  his  own  apartment,  previous  to 
being  passed  before  the  inspectors,  who  made  careful  search  for 
gold  or  green  diamonds  ;  none  of  either  being  found  on  their  per- 
son they  were  permitted  to  pass  on  to  their  boarding-house  or  to 
their  private  residence,  all  of  which  were  inside  the  enclosure. 

In  addition  to  a  stated  sum  per  diem  a  percentage  was  allowed 
the  miners  on  their  daily  find  of  either  gold  or  green  diamonds. 

The  amount  each  miner  earned  could  be  ascertained  by  him 
from  a  daily  bulletin  which  was  posted  outside  of  the  big  inspec- 
tion house,  where  the  superintendent  had  his  office.  Both  the  gold 
and  the  green  diamond  miners  keot  one  of  their  number,  paid  by 
them  from  assessments,  as  check  clerk  to  see  that  their  rights  were 
preserved  in  giving  them  credit  for  their  work.  This  check  clerk 
was  elected  by  the  miners. 

Day  laborers,  for  hauling  the  gold  ore  and  gneissoid  rocks  con- 


2o6  The  Lady  of  New  Orleans. 

taining  this  variety  of  the  spodumene,  worked  in  squads  under 
bosses,  and  received  three  dollars  per  diem.  Professor  Wortman 
would  not  retain  any  man  in  employ  who  did  not  earn  at  least  two 
dollars  per  day. 

A  large  bank  vault  had  been  constructed  in  th<  office  part  of  the 
big  log  castle,  where  the  diamonds  in  the  rough,  as  well  as  fin-, 
ished,  the  gold  dust  and  nuggets,  as  also  the  bars  that  were  re-\ 
turned  from  the  smelter,  were  stored  for  safety.     The  vault  was  { 
secured  by  two  time-locks,  one  on  the  outside  iron  railing  door 
and  one  on  the  vault  door.     Every  man  on  the  place  knew  that 
not  even  the  cashier  nor  the  Professor,  could  get  inside  the  vault 
only  when  the  time-lock  was  open.     This  was  to  obviate  a  raid 
being  made  on  the  treasure. 

A  more  cheerful  and  contented  lot  of  men  are  seldom  seen. 
They  were  making  competencies  for  use  when  they  went  out  in 
the  world  again.  All  that  was  necessary  to  keep  them  thus  con- 
tented was  to  prevent  them  from  going  outside  of  the  stockade 
and  then  to  some  distillery  in  the  mountains. 

Mr.  Millyard  was  shown  every  detail  of  the  business.  He  men- 
tally noted  everything  he  saw  and  often  spoke  to  his  wife  aside 
during  their  examination.  Next  in  order  Professor  Wortman 
took  Millyard,  and  Dalgal  accompanied  them,  outside  the  stock- 
ade, mounted  on  saddle  horses,  to  make  a  complete  survey  of  the 
surface  of  the  land,  including  the  adjoining  tract  to  the  southwest, 
of  which  Dalgal  had  made  mention  to  Millyard. 

"  Dalgal,  my  old  dreamomaniac  friend,"  said  Millyard  good- 
humoredly,  as  the  party  were  returning  to  the  stockade,  "  you  say 
you  are  willing  to  sell  me  this  land  and  your  entire  interest  in  this 
business  ?  I  am  willing  and  ready  to  purchase  at  your  price  with 
two  provisos  being  complied  with." 

"  What  are  they?  "  asked  Mr.  Dalgal,  as  they  neared  the  stock- 
ade coming  down  the  mountain-side. 

"  The  first  is,  that  I  can  buy  this  other  tract  of  land,  and  the 
other  is,  that  you  will  make  a  favorable  dream  for  me  to-night." 

"  People  are  always  talking  about  my  dreaming,"  retorted  Dal- 
gal, petulantly.  "  I'do  not  know  whether  I  can  dream  for  you  or 
not.  In  any  event  I  am  dubious  about  my  ability  of  dreaming  to 
order.  But'when  I  tell  you  anything  is  so  or  is  going  to  be  so,  you 
may  rely  that  it  will  be  just  that  way." 

"  O,  I  merely  said  the  latter,  Galie,"  said  Millyard.  "  You  send 
and  get  the  gentleman  who  owns  this  other  tract  of  land  to  come 


Hiddenite  Diamond  Mines.  207 

here  to-night  and  let  me  trade  with  him  for  it.     Then  I  will  trade 
with  you." 

"  I  can  have  him  here  to-night,"  interposed  Professor  Wort- 
man. 

"  Good !  Please  do  that,"  Millyard  responded  as  the  guard 
opened  the  gate  of  the  stockade. 

That  night  the  owner  of  the  tract,  Mr.  Bart  Hallowell,  came 
and  Millyard  traded  for  the  tract  of  land  in  question.  Hallowell 
agreed  to  have  his  wife  there  and  make  the  deed  the  next  day. 
*  That  night,  just  before  retiring  to  their  rooms  from  the  immense 
hall  used  as  a  sitting-room,  where  they  had  all  been  pleasantly 
conversing  during  the  evening,  Millyard  nonchalantly  remarked : 

"  Galen,  old  chum,  you  may  draw  up  your  deed  and  transfer  of 
contract  in  the  morning  at  the  same  time  when  you  are  drawing 
up  Mr.  Hallowell's  deed.  But  I  wish  you  would  tell  me  in  the 
morning  how  I  am  going  to  come  out  in  this  enterprise.  You  see, 
with  this  I  will  be  pretty  deep  into  the  business,  and  if  I  lose  a  for- 
tune is  wiped  out." 

"  I  cannot  promise  you  anything  more  than  you  know  and  can 
see  for  yourself,"  replied  Dalgal,  resting  one  hand  on  the  big 
center-table.  "  But  if  I  do  know  anything  I  will  tell  you  gladly. 
This  whole  business  has  been  a  vision,  as  it  were,  to  me." 

"  I  don't  doubt  it,"  chimed  in  Millyard. 

"  If  it  has  been  on  account  of  dreams."  continued  Dalgal,  "  they 
have  been  a  fortune  to  me,  all  I  will  want.  I  hope  and  trust  it 
will  realize  your  dreams.  But  you  will  gain  an  hundred-fold  by  it 
to  my  one.  However,  I  want  to  tell  you  this  :  just  before  I  bought 
this  land  from  our  mutual  friend,  Judge  William  Buckingham 
Selia,  and  then  married  my  wife,  since  which  time  success  and 
fortune  has  smiled  on  me,  I  found  that  when  spitting,  whether  in 
the  office  or  on  the  sidewalk,  I  invariably  hit  the  crack.  Another 
thing:  when  I  am  walking  along  the  street  I  find  myself  involun- 
tarily stepping  across  the  cracks  between  the  flagstones  of  the 
sidewalk.  Also  stepping  across  an  imaginary  line  from  a  post 
or  from  the  corner  of  a  house  or  pillar  or  door,  or  bulge  in  the 
wall,  across  to  the  outside  of  the  sidewalk.  I  think  that  has  had 
as  much  to  do  with  my  luck,  as  the  Psalmist  has  it,  if  not  more, 
than  my  dreaming.  I  do  not  believe  in  the  dreaming  idea.  If 
it  is  dreaming  I  hope  I  can  dream  some  for  you.  There  is  another 
thing  connected  with  this  dreaming  scheme  that  I  cannot  explain, 
nor  do  I  fully  understand :  my  dreams  are  always  in  the  past. 


208  The  Lady  of  New  Orleans. 

They  are  vivid  and  actual  in  every  particular  and  detail,  so  that 
they  are  clearly  imprinted  on  my  mind  as  facts.  They  have  always 
proven  to  be  correct  in  some  form  or  fashion.  So,  if  to-night  I 
should  dream  of  your  making  millions  in  this  enterprise  I  sin- 
cerely believe  it  will  come  true." 

"  Mr.  Dalgal,  that  your  great  Genii  may  be  enticed  and  fail  not 
to  attend  you,"  said  Mrs.  Wortman,  the  shriveled-looking  wife 
of  the  Professor,  "  come  and  take  some  wine  before  retiring." 

Next  morning  Mr.  Galen  Dalgal,  the  partially  red-headed,  or, 
rather,  auburn-haired,  and  partly  bald-headed  lawyer  of  Hickory, 
came  marching  out  on  the  broad,  rustic-furnished  veranda  that 
surrounded  the  enormous  log  castle  and,  accosting  Mr.  Millyard, 
who  was  an  early  riser,  and  who  with  Professor  Wortman  was 
taking  a  morning  "  nip,"  rubbing  his  hands  cheerily,  said: 

"  Now  look  here,  Alpha,  I  want  facts,  nothing  but  facts. 
Didn't  you  tell  me  last  night  that  you  had  sold  these  mines  to  the 
Rothschilds  for  five  hundred  million  dollars  ?  If  you  have,  I  think 
you  can  afford  to  give  me  more  than  two  hundred  thousand  dol- 
lars for  my  interest." 

"  Ah,  ha !  "  shouted  Millyard  in  great  glee,  and  laughing  loudly. 
"  You  did  have  a  dream  then  ?  Out  with  it.  Tell  the  whole  thing." 

"Dream?  Nonsense!"  sneered  Dalgal.  "Don't  you  know 
you  were  sitting  out  here  last  night  and  told  me,  the  Professor 
heard  it,  how  you  had  made  more  money  out  of  these  mines  than 
you  knew  what  to  do  with?  And  that  you  did  not  know  what 
you  are  worth  or  what  you  own  ?  Professor,  I  ask  you  to  verify 
for  me  ;  am  I  not  correct  ?  " 

"  Here  is  some  Western  North  Carolina  corn  whisky  that  is 
pure,  the  best  in  the  world,"  responded  the  Professor ;  "  there  is 
some  bitters  and  there  is  some  sugar.  Henry,  you  make  Mr. 
Dalgal  one  of  your  very  best  corn  whisky  cock-tails." 

'  Yes,"  added  Millyard,  humorously,  "  and  while  he  is  com- 
pounding you  a  corn  cock-tail  I  wish  to  hear  some  further  re- 
marks, perorations  included,  about  this  wonderful  five-hundred- 
million-dollar  deal  that  you  say  I  pictured  to  you  last  night.  Give 
us  the  full  bill  of  particulars  and,  as  you  are  such  a  sure  dreamer, 
probably  I  can  follow  the  idea  or  go  through  the  woods  by  the 
blazes  on  the  trees." 

"  It  makes  me  disgusted  with  people  who  are  always  denying  to 
me  their  straightforward  conversations,"  said  Dalgal,  rather  con- 
temptuously.    "  They  talk  and  talk  me  nearly  to  death  and  then 


Hiddenite  Diamond  Mines.  209 

talk;  then  come  up  serenely  next  morning  and  say  they  never 
talked  to  me,  never  saw  me,  much  less  to  talk." 

"  Yes,  people  are  queer,  Galen,"  softly  returned  Millyard.  "  But 
I  hope  you  will  be  more  considerate  with  me.  I  have  no  reason  to 
doubt  you,  but  I  have  a  good  reason  for  wishing  to  know  the 
methods,  the  manner  as  well  as  the  method,  of  your  having  these 
remarkable  conversations  and  remembering  them  so  correctly." 

"  That's  it !  That  is  what  puzzles  me  !  "  exclaimed  Dalgal.  "  I 
would  know  it  was  only  a  dream  if  it  were  not  clear  to  me  that  it 
is  true  in  every  particular.  You  have  sold  this  property  or  en- 
gaged it  and  you  can't  deceive  me  about  it." 

"  Why,  Galen,  I  will  not  buy  it  from  you,  if  you  are  sorry  of 
your  bargain,"  replied  Millyard. 

"  No,  sir,  I  am  a  man  of  my  word,"  hotly  replied  Dalgal,  taking 
the  proffered  glass  of  N.  C.  corn  cock-tail. 

"  That  is  the  reason  I  have  never  doubted  you,"  asserted  Mill- 
yard.  "  You  do  not  seem  to  appreciate  my  desire  to  be  possessed 
of  the  same  kind  of  extraordinary  mental  faculties  whereby  you 
learn  in  your  sleep  beforehand  what  is  to  be ;  those  things  that  are 
to  transpire  many  days  or  months  subsequent.  You  see,  if  I  can 
be  possessed  of  your  dreamomaniacal  faculty  it  would  probably 
lead  me  into  the  infinite  and  thus  to  the  otherwise  unattainable. 
But  I  presume  it  is  not  intended  by  our  great  Creator  that  all  men 
should  know  these  things,  even  were  we  to  possess  the  faculty  or 
occult  and  innate  force  that  you  seem  to  monopolize.  Some  men 
would  make  base  use  of  such  faculty.  Hence  you  ought  to  be 
considerate  to  those  who  unlike  you  must  needs  grope  in  igno- 
rance. Now  the  facts  are,  you  tell  me  that  the  Rothschilds  are  your 
agents  and  bankers !  What  you  have  stated  leads  me  to  suspect 
on  the  spur  of  the  moment  that  if  we  trade  I  possibly  may  be  able 
to  make  a  deal  with  those  people.  They  are  the  only  persons  in 
the  world  through  whom  I  could  hope  to  make  such  a  gigantic 
deal.  I  know  personally  the  Rothschilds  in  Paris,  and,  of  course, 
all  about  the  others.  I  am  also  aware  that  they  have  their  heads 
set  on  just  this  kind  of  enterprise,  outside  of  dealing  with  gov- 
ernments. And  it  is  only  because  stable  and  financially  able  gov- 
ernments are  limited  and  the  dealings  of  the  firm  correspondingly 
so,  that  they  are  forced  to  outside  dealings.  This  they  do  where 
the  matters  are  of  sufficient  magnitude  to  warrant  their  attention. 
They  are  investing  in  gold  enterprises.  Hence  if  this  is  a  millions- 
of-dollars  affair  they  can  very  readily  be  persuaded  into  it.  Tak- 
14 


210  The  Lady  of  New  Orleans. 

ing  this  view  of  the  case,  don't  you  think  you  better  decide  not 
to  sell  to  me,  or  to  any  one  else?  " 

Wiping  his  mustache  and  Dare  forehead  with  a  red-flowered 
handkerchief,  Dalgal  slowly  replied : 

"  No,  my  dear  Alpha  ;  I 'told  you  what  I  would  do.  You  took 
me  up  and  I  stick  to  it." 

"  All  right,  Galen.  I  have  had  a  plain  talk  with  Professor 
Wortman.  He  has  given  me  full  information  and  imparted  many 
important  ideas  in  regard  to  the  business.  I  shall  accept  them  all, 
as  well  as  your  offer  to  sell.  The  enterprise  requires  additional 
capital  immediately.  I  will  furnish  it.  But  I  expect  to  make  back 
my  money  out  of  it  before  the  end  of  two  months.  That  is  what 
the  Professor  claims.  Then  I  can  possibly  realize  bv  the  end  of 
the  year  your  dream  about  my  selling  to  the  Rothschilds." 

"  Good !  "  was  all  that  Dalgal  could  exclaim. 

Bart  Hallowell,  the  farmer  who  owned  the  other  tract  of  land 
containing  one  hundred  and  ninety  acres,  with  his  wife,  arrived 
at  the  log  castle  in  the  middle  morning  hours. 

Mr.  Millyard  secured  title  in  fee  simple  to  the  land  for  six 
thousand  dollars.  Nearly  ten  times  as  much  as  the  man  would 
have  taken  for  the  land  the  year  before.  Millyard  was  now  the 
owner  of  all  the  property  except  the  one-fourth  interest  in  the 
net  output  minus  one-fourth  gross  during  the  next  four  years  and 
more  which  the  contract  yet  had  to  run. 

There  were  congratulations  and  compliments  and  good  feeling 
prevailed  among  all  the  parties  to  the  transactions.  The  ladies 
of  the  party  had  become  very  much  interested  in  the  proceedings. 
The  transactions  being  concluded,  Mrs.  Wortman  invited  all  the 
party  to  the  spacious  dining-hall,  where  was  served  brandies, 
wines,  anything  desired,  including  the  original,  never-failing  and 
only  simon-pure  "  N.  C.  corn-juice."     Such  as  the  Governors  use. 

This  being  over,  Mrs.  Wortman  invited  them  to  a  house  in- 
spection. 


When  the  Spark  was  Started.  2  if 


CHAPTER  XXXVI. 

WHEN  THE  SPARK  WAS  STARTED. 

Such  a  house  as  the  Wortman  log  castle  exists  nowhere  else. 
To  begin  a  meager  description  of  the  building  it  may  be  premised 
that  the  location  suited  the  conception  for  just  such  a  structure. 

It  was  built  with  the  view  of  its  being  a  veritable  castle,  be- 
cause the  gold  and  precious  stones  being  mined  had  to  be  stored  in 
it.  Precaution  necessitated  that  it  be  bullet-proof  as  well  as 
burglar-proof.  The  walls  of  the  castle  were  of  a  foot  and  a  half 
to  two  feet  square,  or  partly  squared,  logs,  sawed  from  the  timber 
which  grew  on  the  land.  The  double  main  door  opened  into  a 
large  room  twenty -four  feet  square,  a  large  old-fashioned  fire- 
place, ten  feet  in  width  by  four  feet  deep,  a  grand,  massive  mantel 
seven  feet  high  at  the  top  shelf  and  a  wide  stone  hearth  were  di- 
rectly in  front  of  the  main  door  across  the  room.  Very  wide  semi- 
circular staircases  led  up  at  both  ends,  or  rather,  sides,  of  the 
large  room  to  a  wide  balcony  extending  round  the  rotunda  at  each 
of  the  second  and  third  stories,  supported  by  pillars  on  the  ro- 
tunda and  rooms  on  the  outside.  The  huge  rotunda  extended  to 
the  roof,  which  was  double-ceiled  with  finely  polished  long-leaf 
North  Carolina  pine,  for.-iing  a  beautiful  dome  inside.  In  the 
third-story  gallery  there  were  no  rooms,  but  little  portholes  and 
small  windows  were  close  together  all  around  the  outside  walls, 
which  commanded  a  plain  view  in  all  directions  around  the  castle. 

The  decorations  inside,  although  tasteful,  sufficient  and  appro- 
priate, did  not  show  up  profusely  at  first  glance  on  account  of  the 
great  size  of  the  room.  Lars^e  U.  S.  flags  were  festooned  to  the 
dome.  Deer  antlers,  bear-skins,  goat  and  rams'  horns,  with  a  few 
well-polished  sets  of  steers'  homs,  and  galax  (aphylla)  leaves 
adorned  the  walls.  Rustic  rhododendron  (maximum  et  cataw- 
biense)  rocking-chairs,  of  all  sizes  and  quirleque  make  were  in  ap- 
propriate places  about  the  large  room  and  halls  and  on  the  wide 
front  piazza. 


212  The  Lady  of  New  Orleans. 

A  large  circular  table,  eight  feet  in  diameter,  of  two-inch  walnut 
planks  two  feet  wide,  highly  polished,  torming  a  huge  center- 
table,  was  decorated  with  lamps,  mats,  books,  magazines  and  bric- 
a-brac  galore ;  a  large  kerosene  oil  chandelier,  suspended  from  the 
center  of  the  dome,  swung  high  over  this  center-table.  This  large 
room  served  as  a  reception  chamber  and  drawing-room  all  com- 
bined. The  "  castle  "  faced  north.  On  the  south  side  at  the  west 
end  of  this  large  hall  there  was  a  door  opening  to  bath-rooms, 
barber-shop  and  so  forth.  The  second  story  above  this  part  was  set 
apart  in  rooms  for  the  servants  and  others.  On  the  south  side  at 
the  east  end  of  the  hall  was  a  door  leading  to  the  immense  dining- 
hall,  back  and  beside  of  which  were  the  kitchen,  pantry,  laundry, 
and  so  forth.  On  the  east  side  of  the  hall  were  two  doors  not  far 
apart,  one  leading  to  the  office-rooms  on  the  north  side  of  a  pas- 
sageway, the  big  vault-room  was  on  the  other  side  fronting  the  of- 
fices ;  the  other  door  led  to  the  sleeping  apartments  and  so  forth 
occupied  by  Professor  Wortman  and  his  family.  On  the  second 
floor  on  the  east  and  west  sides  of  the  balcony-rotunda  were 
twenty  or  more  bedrooms  occupied  by  the  chief  men  and  lapidary 
men.  On  the  west  side  first  floor  were  a  billiard-room,  where 
one  could  smoke,  and  a  large  hall  reserved  for  special  purposes, 
such  as  meetings,  religious  and  otherwise.  The  third  story  was 
the  arsenal  and  fort. 

A  guard  stood  at  the  door  of  the  office  by  day  and  by  night, 
three  men  being  assigned  on  this  duty  with  loaded  44-caliber 
Winchester  rifles  in  hand  and  the  same  caliber  revolvers  at  their 
side,  who  alternated  watch  eight  hours  each  in  guardianship  over 
the  great  amount  of  treasure  stored  in  the  vault. 

This  rare  and  sparkling  gem,  the  most  valuable  of  all  gems, 
green  in  color,  but  clear  and  brilliant,  is  more  popularly  known 
by  the  name  of  "  Hiddenite."  This  name,  Hiddenite,  may  be  a 
strikingly  suggestive  name,  but  the  gem  came  by  it  honestly.  How- 
ever, as  some  one  has  said : 

"  Some  day  the  world  will  say, 
And  this  at  no  distant  day, 

'  Hiddenite  '  received  its  name 
Not  to  its  discoverer's  fame, 

But  'cause  so  long  'twas  hidden, 
— And  thus  its  name." 

William  Earl  Hidden,  an  American,  but  a  member  of  several 


When  the  Spark  was  Started.  213 

* 

scientific  societies  in  Europe  as  well  as  some  in  the  United  States 
was  the  real  and  first  discoverer  of  the  gem  and  the  first  to  pro- 
nounce it  a  distinct  gem.  Its  subsequent  analysis  proved  him  to 
be  correct.  It  is  classified  as  a  variety  of  spodumene,  and,  be- 
cause of  its  rarity,  sparkling  brilliancy  and  great  beauty  of  color, 
it  is  sought  for  by  the  dillctante  connoisseurs  and  wealthy  people, 
especially  by  those  of  Europe  and  the  nobility. 

The  supply  of  the  gem,  even  at  extraordinary  prices  is  not  equal 
to  the  demand.  ■  A  stone  of  the  size,  shape  and  weight  of  a  white 
diamond  which  has  for  an  intrinsic  value,  say  of  twenty-five  hun- 
dred dollars,  is  readily  sold  at  from  five  thousand  dollars  to 
twenty  thousand  dollars,  according  to  brilliancy. 

Professor  Wortman  conceived  the  plan  of  giving  a  numbered 
certificate  with  each  gem,  the  gem  itself  being  numbered  to  corre- 
spond and  bearing  the  imprint  of  "  Wortman,"  with  another  pri- 
vate seal,  guaranteeing  the  genuineness  of  the  stone,  and  setting 
forth,  as  clearly  as  possible  a  description  of  the  gem  and  its  setting. 
Which  certificate  is  of  such  nature  and  character,  printed  on  pure 
parchment,  that  every  person  who  purchases  one  of  the  gems  from 
second  hand  can  be  sure  that  he  is  receiving  the  genuine  when 
this  certificate  accompanies  it.  In  every  instance  the  certificate 
must  be  signed  by  the  person  selling  the  stone,  which  also  carries 
with  it  his  guarantee  of  his  ownership  and  the  same  warranty  he 
received,  the  same  as  land.  Every  time  the  gem  is  sold  the  seller, 
be  he  king  or  prince,  queen  or  my  lady,  or  Mr.  Brown,  this  certifi- 
cate must  be  signed  by  them  and  transferred  with  the  gem.  Were 
some  other  person  than  the  true  owner  to  sign  the  transfer  certifi- 
cate it  might  possibly  work  detrimentally  to  the  fair  reputation  of 
the  party  so  doing,  a  larceny  or  burglary  might  be  proven.  Thus, 
the  holder  of  one  of  these  gems  and  its  certificate  can  trace  it  to  its 
source.  If  the  possessor  of  one  of  the  gems  and  none  but  the 
wealthy  can  possess  them,  does  not  hold  the  certificate  and  does 
not  know  the  number  he  is  in  danger  of  exposure.  If  there  is  any 
change  in  the  stone  or  alteration  in  the  manner  of  its  setting  the 
owner  so  having  it  done  must  note  it,  the  date  and  by  whom,  on 
the  certificate. 

There  was  never  before  such  a  perfect  scheme  for  protecting  in 
its  original  sanctity  the  genuineness  and  history  of  precious  gems. 
A  hundred  or  a  thousand  years  hence  the  history  of  one  of  these 
gems  will  be  interesting  reading.  It  was  an  extraordinary  fore- 
sight in  Professor  Wortman  to  adopt  the  plan.     He  thus  caused 


214  The  Lady  of  New  Orleans. 

his  gems  to  be  popular  from  the  very  incipiency  of  the  business 
and  was  thus  enabled  to  maintain  his  prices  for  the  same. 

Here,  then,  is  the  most  valuable  and  brilliant  gem  of  all  the 
precious  gems,  one  which  is  very  rare  and  difficult  to  obtain,  and 
which  so  far  in  all  the  world  has  been  found  only  inside  the 
limits  of  a  bailiwick,  a  small  area  in-  a  county  in  the  state  of 
North  Carolina.  The  safeguards  around  it  for  the  protection 
of  its  rightful  owner,  the  same  as  a  title  deed  to  real  estate,  give 
it  additional  value. 

Already  in  Great  Britain  the  scion  of  a  nobleman  of  distinc- 
tion was  saved  from  ruin  and  disgrace  in  a  case  in  open  court  by 
a  certificate  showing  the  genealogy  of  a  Hiddenite  gem. 

But  to  return  to  the  trend. 

Mr.  Millyard  and  his  wife  were  shown  the  treasure  in  the 
vault.  Professor  Wortman  the  while  explained  to  them  in  detail. 
The  flashing  emerald-hued  stones  had  been  lapidaried  and  then 
put  in  gold  settings,  plain  and  ornamental,  as  brooches,  neck- 
laces, rings,  bosom-studs,  et  cetera,  in  a  large  room  adjoining  the 
office.  In  this  lapidary  work  Millyard  had  been  anticipated  by 
the  Professor.  Expert  artisans  were  already  employed  at  lapi- 
darying,  designing,  engraving  and  making  the  settings  to  suit 
the  stones.  When  finished  the  gems  were  shipped  to  agents  in 
London,  Paris,  Vienna,  Amsterdam,  Frankfort-on-the-Main,  Ber- 
lin, and  so  forth,  and  sold  to  persons  who,  in  many  instances,  had 
engaged  them  months  in  advance. 

Airs.  Millyard  was  delighted  with  the  business.  She  declared 
it  peculiarly  adapted  to  a  woman's  taste,  to  which  Mrs.  Wortman 
assented. 

By  consent  of  Professor  Wortman  who  made  the  choice,  Mr. 
Millyard  also  joining  in  consent,  Mrs.  Wortman  fastened  upon 
the  bosom  of  Mrs.  Millyard  a  cluster  of  the  gems  in  a  beautiful 
setting,  which  was  entered  on  the  books  at  thirty  thousand  dol- 
lars. The  certificate,  duly  made  out  and  registered,  was  given 
along  with  it.     Mrs.  Dalgal  in  an  aside  to  Mrs.  Millyard,  said: 

"  They  have  never  given  me  one." 

This  plaintive  remark  was  overheard  by  Mr.  Millyard.  Turn- 
ing to  Professor  Wortman  he  said : 

"  Get  one  equally  as  elegant  and  let  me  make  a  present  of  it 
to  Mrs.  Dalgal." 

Searching  among  the  mounted  gems  as  they  lay  spread  out  on 


When  the  Spark  was  Started.  215 

trays,  Professor  Wortman  made  choice  of  one  and  handed  it  to 
Millyard,  saying: 

"  Here  is  one.  We  have  an  order  from  a  Bavarian  nobleman 
for  one  about  like  it  in  all  essential  particulars  and  for  which  the 
price  is  approximated  at  twenty  thousand  dollars.  You  can  have 
it  to  present  to  Mrs.  Dalgal." 

Taking  the  cluster  of  gems  and  advancing  to  Mrs.  Dalgal,  Mill- 
yard  said : 

"  Allow  me  the  pleasure,  Madame  Dalgal,  to  pin  this  little 
brooch  upon  your  bosom  as  a  slight  testimonial,  with  my  com- 
pliments." 

There  was  nothing  untoward  connected  with  this  procedure. 

Mrs.  Millyard  slightly  bowed  her  head  and  gently  imitated 
making  marks  with  the  ferule  of  her  umbrella  upon  the  floor. 


216  The  Lady  of  New  Orleans. 


CHAPTER  XXXVII. 

HOW    THE    GEMS    ARE    FOUND. 

"  O,  no,  don't  leave  to-day,"  said  Professor  Wortman  to  Mill- 
yard.  '  Wait  until  to-morrow.  I  want  to  show  you  the  feasibility 
of  running  this  business  to  its  very  utmost  limit  and  getting  all 
there  is  in  it  out  of  it  in  the  quickest  time  possible." 

"  I  am  aware  of  that  fact,"  replied  Millyard.  "  It  is  my  desire 
to  run  it  at  the  highest  pressure  possible.  I  would  like  very  much 
to  determine  before  I  leave  what  is  necessary  to  be  done  to  that 
end.  I  guess  we  will  remain  until  to-morrow  if  Mr.  Dalgal  is 
willing." 

Mr.  Dalgal  was  a  complacent,  indeed  a  very  amiable,  gentle- 
man.   He  had  his  fortune  in  '  is  pocket. 

"How  much  more  capital  do  you  want?"  asked  Millyard  of 
Wortman. 

"  I  have  the  assets  here  on  hand,"  the  old  man  replied,  "  and 
more  besides,  as  you  have  seen,  t>ut  I  have  not  the  cash  and  will 
not  have  it  until  we  get  returns  from  Europe.  We  may  not  need 
so  much  as  I  am  going  to  mention,  but  I  want  it  at  our  com- 
mand. If  I  had  a  hundred  thousand  dollars  I  would  telegraph 
and  get  a  1  undred  and  fifty  or  one  hundred  and  seventy-five 
more  expert  lapidary-men  and  one  hundred  more  expert  gold- 
smiths at  once.  Then  put  three  hundred  more  miners  to  work 
and  get  about  thirty-five  thousand  dollars'  worth  of  new,  im- 
proved, up-to-date  machinery,  about  which  I  received  a  letter  re- 
cently, as  they  have  not  yet  got  out  a  catalogue.  I  can  in  about 
three  weeks  after  I  get  all  this  begin  to  turn  out  two  million 
dollars'  worth  a  day,  probably  a  little  over." 

"  Good  gracious,  man !  You  stagger  me,  both  ways,"  laughed 
Millyard.  "  If  our  friend  Dalgal  sends  in  his  check  at  once  I 
will  not  have  a  balance  sufficient  to  let  you  have  a  hundred 
thousand  at  once.  P>ut  if  you  can  do  what  you  say  I  will  try  and 
arrange  it  as  soon  as  I  get  to  New  Orleans," 


How  the  Gems  are  Found.  217 

"  As  I  said,"  rejoined  Professor  Wortman,  "  I  may  not  need 
that  much  nor  require  but  very  little  of  it  before  we  realize  in  re- 
turns from  Europe ;  but  before  I  make  the  venture  I  want  to  know 
that  amount  of  cash  is  at  command  to  back  me.  You  see  a  man 
can  be  more  confident  of  a  thing  when  he  has  good  cash  backing. 
I  have  the  knowledge  of  how  to  do  it  and  you  have  the  money 
to  back  me.  Here  we  have  the  plant  and  the  real  stuff  right  there 
in  the  ground  and  all  we  have  to  do  is  to  take  it  out  and  work 
it  into  available  material,  marketable  shape.  The  nearer  we  put 
it  into  a  commodity  ready  for  sale  and  use  the  more  money  we 
will  make  out  of  it." 

"  True,"  responded  Millyard.  "  By  that  means  we  make  all 
the  profits  of  production  up  to  an  actual  sale  by  retail,  as  it  were. 
By  the  way,  could  you  arrange  it  so  that  you  can  send  all  your 
surplus  gold,  I  mean  over  what  you  use  here  in  the  business,  to 
the  mint  at  Philadelphia  and  let  it  be  placed  for  coinage  to  my 
credit?" 

"  Certainly,"  responded  Professor  Wortman.  "  I  can  get  re- 
turns from  Europe  in  three  or  four  weeks  on  those  gems  already 
sent  and  probably  those  on  the  way.  Besides,  I  can  send  a  lot 
more  of  them  at  once.  I  will  ship  what  gold  we  have  on  hand  at 
once  and  ask  that  it  be  placed  to  your  credit.  The  mint  director 
will  furnish  me  with  statements  and  I  can  enter  it  in  the  books 
against  you." 

"  That  will  be  satisfactory,"  assented  Millyard.  "  I  will  give 
you  my  check  for  twenty-five  thousand  dollars  now  and  will  send 
you  the  balance  from  New  Orleans.  I  see  that  you  are  a  push- 
ing man ;  that  suits  me  exactly.  I  want  to  be  back  here  in  about 
three  weeks." 

"  By  that  time  I  will  have  this  business  in  full  blast,"  said 
Wortman,  pushing  his  spectacles  up  over  his  forehead,  "  turning 
out  at  least  a  million  dollars'  worth  every  day  we  work,  if  not  up 
to  the  two-million  mark.  That  amount  is  where  my  pegs  are 
set.  I  shall  make  my  orders  by  telegraph.  That  requires  that  I 
send  a  boy  over  to  Hickory  on  a  horse  in  a  gallop." 

When  the  check  was  given  and  the  boy  was  gone  the  level- 
headed old  Professor  said : 

"  Now,  since  this  matter  is  settled  and  off  my  mind,  I  will  ask 
you  and  Mr.  Dalgal  to  please  excuse  me  while  I  attend  to  the  af- 
fairs of  the  mines.  Just  make  yourselves  at  home ;  do  as  you  please 
and  go  where  you  please ;  only  the  guards  will  not  let  you  out  of 
the  stockade." 


2i8  The  Lady  of  New  Orleans. 

Being  alone,  Millyard  and  Dalgal  engaged  themselves  in  con- 
versation. 

"  I  say,  Galen,"  said  Millyard,  "  are  you  a  descendant  of  the 
gentleman  who  introduced  medicine  and  surgery  by  journeying 
from  Athens  to  Africa  in  quest  of  a  corpse?  Of  course  not, 
but — why  did  you  sell?  You  heard  what  the  Professor  said 
about  the  business  paying?  " 

"  Well,  Alpha,  to  tell  you  the  truth,  I  did  not  know  the  scope 
nor  extent  of  the  business.  I  have  never  examined  into  it  fully. 
The  Professor  has  been  telling  me  about  it,  and  has  been  persuad- 
ing me  to  go  into  a. joint  stock  company  and  all  that  sort  of  thing, 
but  I  had  no  ready  money.  I  needed  some  at  once.  Two  hun- 
dred thousand  dollars  cash  in  hand,  besides  what  I  have  already 
got  as  my  share  of  the  output,  for  a  piece  of  old  mountain  land 
that  I  swapped  an  old  horse  and  a  worn-out  buggy  for,  is,  I  think, 
a  pretty  good  piece  of  business." 

"  Sensible  to  the  last,"  retorted  Millyard.  "  But  I  want  to 
ask  this  :    Was  it  on  account  of  any  adverse  dream  ? ,; 

"  Now  you  are  hitting  at  the  quick,"  replied  Dalgal  to  Mill- 
yard's  soft  impeachment.  "  If  you  will  persist  in  calling  them 
dreams,  Alpha,  I  may  as  well  admit  that  they  were  all  on  your 
side,  in  your  favor.  I  could  not  see  anything  far  ahead  in  my 
favor  and,  while  I  was  not  anxious  to  sell,  I  set  a  price  and  you 
took  me  up.  Your  doing  so  shows  to  me  that  you  are  the  lucky 
man,  while  I  also  consider  myself  a  lucky  man  to  get  my  price. 
But  it  has  all  come  through  talking " 

"  Dreaming,  you  mean,"  interposed   Millvard. 

"  Call  it  dreaming  then,  you  who  do  not  know  any  better.  A 
good  dream  is  better  than  a  bad  one.  I  have  had  good  luck  ever 
since  I  have  noticed  that  I  involuntarily  step  across  a  crack  in  the 
floor  or  on  the  sidewalk.  Whenever  I  am  forced  to  put  a  foot 
across  a  crack  I  place  the  hollow  of  the  foot  centrally  across  it. 
Since  I  commenced  doing  so  f  have  had  good  luck  and  success 
in  every  enterprise.  Why,  it  has  come  to  me  when  I  did  not 
expect  it.  I  gained  a  case  for  a  client  the  other  day  when  I  knew 
he  was  guilty  and  I  had  given  up  in  despair.  The  Judge  unin- 
tentionally suggested  a  technicality,  which  acquitted  my  client. 
I  am  certain  that  what  you  told  me  the  other  night  about  your 
going  to  sell  this  business  to  the  Rothschilds,  or  through  them, 
will  come  to  pass."  Mr.  Dalgal  evidently  firmly  believed  in  his 
omens  of  expectorating  on  the  mark  and  stepping  across  the 
cracks,  he  alluded  to  them  so  frequently. 


How  the  Gems  are  Found.  219 

"  Well,  now,  Galen,  I  did  not  tell  you  that ;  but  let  that  pass," 
said  Millyard,  placatingly.  "  I  can  understand  the  situation.  I 
only  hope  it  will  come  true.  I  want  to  engage  your  legal  services 
to  take  care  of  my  interest  here  as  well  as  the  legal  business  of  the 
concern.  Your  salary  shall  be  five  thousand  dollars  a  year  from 
now." 

"  Of  course,  Alpha,  I  will  do  anything  for  you,"  replied  Dalgal. 
"  Your  proposal  is  accepted." 

The  manner  of  mining  for  the  green  diamond  is  interesting. 
The  gem-bearing  stones  are  found  in  pockets,  sometimes  forty  or 
fifty  gem-stones  are  found  in  a  pocket,  and  then  again  in  other 
places  only  eight  or  ten  are  secured.  It  frequently  happens  that 
they  are  scattered  like  pebbles  in  the  sand  and  only  one  stone  is 
found,  but  the  miners  follow  the  lead  and  take  out  a  single  stone 
at  a  time,  or  none,  until  they  come  to  another  pocket.  This  was 
the  primitive  way  of  mining  them ;  Professor  Wortman  adopted  a 
speedier  method.  He  found  a  pump  that  was  made  in  Hickory 
which  washed  down  the  mountain. 

It  is  not  every  stone  that  contains  a  gem,  but  the  expert  learns 
to  know  them  by  sight.  Occasionally  stones  are  found  in  the 
naked,  that  is,  loose  in  the  soil,  not  encased  in  a  stone.  These 
are  thought  by  some  to  be  not  quite  so  hard  as  those  gems  found 
inside  the  stones.  But  this  theory  is  not  correct,  because  it  would 
tend  to  show  that  the  gems  deteriorate  after  exposure,  which  is 
not  the  case.  There  is  apparently  no  difference  between  them. 
They  are  certainly  as  clear  and  sparkling  as  those  found  in  the 
rocks. 

These  gems  are  as  clear,  pure,  green  as  the  Scythian  smarag- 
dits  (green  beryl)  from  the  emerald  mines  at  Zabora.  They  are 
found  concealed  in  about  the  center  of  the  stones.  It  was  a  nice 
question  to  obtain  a  rock-crusher  that  would  not  injure  the  gems. 
The  machinery  they  first  had  for  the  purpose  was  not  exactly 
adapted.  It  had  crushed  several  valuable  gems,  one  of  them  that 
was  thus  crushed  would  have  fetched  enough  money  to  pay  for 
two  hundred  crushers.  It  was  to  get  new  and  specially  improved 
machines  for  crushing  the  stones  and  extricating  the  gems  with- 
out crushing  them  that  Professor  Wortman  wanted  ready  money 
and  for  which  he  was  in  such  a  hurry  to  telegraph.  He  also 
wanted  additional  stamps  for  the  gold  ore  at  once.  He  also 
wanted  to  enlarge  the  gold  separator  and  introduce  a  new  process 
then  just  out.     In   fact,  he  wanted  to  make  the  one  hundred 


220  The  Lady  of  New  Orleans. 

thousand  dollars  procure  them  over  five  hundret  thousand  dollars' 
worth  of  new  improvements. 

The  original  mode  of  breaking-  the  stones  with  a  long-handled 
or  geologist's  hammer,  whereby  the  gems  were  first  discovered, 
was  a  process  entirely  too  slow.  The  machine  for  crushing  them 
instead  must  needs  be  very  stout,  yet  delicate,  and  easily  manipu- 
lated to  ensure  that  no  gem  would  be  crushed  or  injured. 

Next  day  Millyard  and  Dalgal,  with  their  families,  accompanied 
by  Professor  and  Mrs.  Wortman,  were  driven  to  Hickory,  where 
Mr.  Millyard  and  his  family  boarded  the  train  bound  for  New 
Orleans. 


Retrospectively  Introspective.  221 


CHAPTER  XXXVIII. 

RETROSPECTIVELY  INTROSPECTIVE. 

As  punk  from  flint  the  spark  will  take. 
******* 

Arriving  in  New  Orleans  the  first  business  that  occupied  the 
attention  of  Mr.  Millyard  was  to  arrange  about  the  money  matters 
for  Professor  Wortman.  He  informed  Mr.  Mike  Delarue  about 
his  venture  and  asked  for  his  assistance. 

"  That  is  an  easy  matter,  no  trouble,"  he  replied  to  Millyard's 
question.  "  I  have  the  money  right  here  on  hand  and  you  have 
no  need  to  call  on  New  York.  A  customer  of  ours  has  left 
sixty  thousand  dollars  for  me  to  place.  I  will  place  it  and  fifteen 
thousand  more  to  your  credit  and  you  can  send  your  check  for 
seventy-five  thousand  or  as  much  of  it  as  you  want  by  to-day's 
mail." 

'  That  is  fortunate,"  said  Alpha.  "  I  am  greatly  cbliged,  Mr. 
Delarue." 

'  Mike,  if  you  please,"  said  Delarue,  bowing  gravely. 

Laughing,  also  bowing,  Millyard  responded : 

"  All  right,  Mike,  old  chummie,  anything  you  say  I  sanction. 
I  want  to  see  your  wife  and  your  babies ;  can't  you  bring  them 
over  to  our  house  this  afternoon  ?  " 

"  That  is  just  what  we  are  going  to  do.  We  have  been  looking 
for  you  several  days.  My  wife  is  anxious  to  see  yours  and  the 
babies.  You  must  come  to  Victor's  and  lunch  with  me  to-day 
and  just  one  more  bottle  of  '  champ.'  I  have  quit,  but  I  must 
take  one  with  you  as  a  memorial  of  the  past." 

'  Why  not  go  to  Johnnie's  and  make  the  thing  complete  ?  " 
asked  Alpha. 

"  I  accept  your  amendment,"   Mike  replied.     "  But  Johnnie, 


mmmmm 


222  The  Lady  of  New  Orleans. 

poor  fellow,  is  dead.  I  was  one  of  his  honorary  pall-bearers.  He 
often  spoke  with  me  about  your  pulling  me  out  of  the  gutter.  He 
thought  you  the  best  man  he  ever  knew.  He  had  many  a  wordy 
fight  on  your  account,  and  one  of  those  detective  fellows  after  a 
hot  bout  Johnnie  gave  him  for  some  shady  work  quit  going  into 
his  house,  and  Johnnie  finally  got  him  dismissed  from  the  force." 
'  You  wrote  me  about  that  girl,  what  was  her  name  ?  " 

:'  Bertha  ?  O,  yes !  She  went  to  the  bad,  where  her  head  was 
set.  Her  father  caused  it ;  he  almost  actually  forced  her  to  it  by 
his  unfilial  conduct  towards  her.  She  drowned  herself  out  in 
Lake  Pontchartrain  near  where  we  saw  Sam  Waxelbaum  and  the 
woman  bathing.     Villeguini  had  deserted  her." 

"  Where  is  Villeguini  ?  "  asked  Millyard. 

"  In  the  asylum,  Russian  kummel  and  absinthe.  A  wreck  men- 
tally and  physically.  Sam  Wax  is  dead;  so  is  your  good  friend 
Judge  Cotton.  I  was  one  of  his  pall-bearers,  on  your  account. 
We  talked  about  you  every  time  we  met.  He  transferred  his  ac- 
count here  to  our  bank.  He  was  very  well  off,  in  fact,  rich.  He 
owned  a  quantity  of  real  estate  scattered  all  over  the  city.  Every- 
thing is  changed  all  round  here  now.  The  atmosphere  is  pure. 
Your  persecutors  are  all  out  of  the  way.  You  must  remain  here 
now,  unless  your  gem  scheme  pans  out  so  heavily  that  New  Or- 
leans will  be  too  circumscribed  for  you." 

'  Mike.  I  could  not  give  up  New  Orleans,  the  dear  old  place, 
under  any  circumstances.  It  is  the  finest,  most  delightful  and  the 
most  cosmopolitan  city  in  the  world.  Even  if  I  was  tortured  here 
I  also  found  here  the  best  or  dearest  friends  I  have.  It  was  here 
that  my  dear  wife  came  to  be  my  good  Samaritan  and  then  mar- 
ried me.  Then  you  helped  me  out  of  my  troubles.  O,  I  am  a 
New  Orlean.  If  I  strike  it  big  sure  enough  up  there  in  North 
Carolina,  as  I  am  quite  sure  I  will,  I  want  to  increase  the  capital 
stock  of  this  bank." 

"  I  can  do  all  the  business  we  can  get  on  one  million  dollars  cash 
capital.  We  have  nearly  two  million  deposits  now  on  only  three 
hundred  thousand  cash  capital,  as  you  know,  having  fifty-one  per 
cent,  of  it  yourself."    Mr.  Delarue  was  called  aside  by  the  cashier. 

As  Millyard  started  out  Delarue  halted  him,  remarking: 

'  Be  sure  and  call  here  at  half-past  twelve ;  we  will  take  lunch 
together.  Meantime,  before  you  go  make  your  note  there  to  the 
bank  for  fifteen  thousand  and  the  other  to  Gail  B.  Dheumazeil  for 
sixty  thousand  and  leave  them  on  my  desk.     I  will  endorse  the 


Retrospectively  Introspective.  223 

one  to  the  bank  and  tell  the  board  about  it  when  they  meet 
directly." 

Millyard  did  as  directed  and  then  drove  to  the  office  of  the 
steamship  company,  then  to  the  street  railway  and  then  to  the 
offices  of  the  various  other  corporations  in  which  he  and  his  wife 
were  interested  and  consulted  about  the  business  affairs  at  each. 
Promptly  at  the  appointed  time  he  was  back  at  the  bank. 

Mr.  Alpha  Millyard  and  Mr.  Mike  Delarue  had,  in  many  re- 
spects, an  old  time  at  Johnnie's.  They  talked  over  the  past  and 
discussed  business  for  the  future  during  a  full  spread  lunch.  Two 
more  congenial  and  happy  men  seldom  get  together  as  friends. 
Their  friendship  had  been  tested  at  a  time  when  they  were  both 
under  unfavorable  circumstances,  now  it  was  being  cemented 
more  closely  if  possible,  the  conditions  being  altered  to  those  de- 
cidedly more  favorable. 

Mr.  Delarue  was  at  the  head  of  the  bankers  of  New  Orleans. 
He  ascribed  his  success  to  Mr.  Millyard,  while  the  fatter  credited 
his  preservation  in  life,  even,  as  well  as  good  fortune,  to  Delarue. 

Mrs.  Milliard's  mother  was  feeble.  The  return  of  her  daugh- 
ter, after  an  absence  the  longest  in  her  life,  with  two  charming 
and  very  bright  grandchildren  for  her  comfort  in  old  age,  were 
hailed  with  great  joy  by  the  old  lady. 

Returning  home  from  the  bank  Alpha  was  informed  by  his 
wife  that  her  mother  desired  to  see  her  son-in-law  in  her  apart- 
ments. 

A  remarkably  handsome,  very  light-colored,  gray,  but  some- 
what bushy-haired,  elderly  lady,  seated  in  an  easy  plush  chair  in  a 
luxuriantly-furnished  room,  greeted  Mr.  Millyard  as  he  entered, 
saying : 

"  So  this  is  my  son-in-law,  the  father  of  my  handsome  grand- 
son and  my  beautiful  granddaughter?  I  am  very  glad  to  meet 
you  and  welcome  you  here  as  the  head  of  the  family." 

"  We  are  delighted,  my  dear  mother-in-law,  to  get  back  here, 
and  I  am  more  than  delighted  to  find  you  in  such  excellent  health 
and  cheerful  spirits.  Our  hurried  departure  from  New  Orleans 
after  our  hasty  marriage  prevented  me  from  having  the  pleasure 
of  seeing  you  before  we  left.  We  were  young  and  gay  then. 
Now,  while  we  are  still  young,  we  are  not  quite  so  gay.  How- 
ever, gay  enough  for  married  people  with  two  children.  Our 
time  is  occupied  now  with  the  children." 

"  You  will  have  to  leave  the  children  to  me  and  my  care,  and 


224  The  Lady  of  New  Orleans. 

let  them  be  a  solace  to  me  in  my  old  age.  I  will  take  as  good, 
if  not  better-care  of  them  than  either  you  or  Rittea."  It  will  be 
so  much  pleasure  to  me." 

"  They  shall  not  be  deprived  of  the  gfood  care  and  training  of 
their  affectionate  grandmother,  nor  she  of  their  solace,  but  we  can 
all  have  our  share.  My  mother  will  also  delight  in  their  com- 
panionship and  take  great  pains  in  training  them.  So,  you  see, 
we  must  all  have  a  hand  in  their  rearing,"  suggested  Millyard, 
no  doubt  for  a  lurking  reason. 

"  Where  is  your  mother  ?  I  know  she  must  be  a  good  woman 
and  as  gentle  as  a  fawn,"  softly  said  the  old  lady,  as  she  eyed 
Millyard  critically. 

"  My  mother  resides  at  Atlanta,  Georgia,"  responded  Millyard, 
meeting  her  gaze.  "  We  must  visit  her  before  a  great  while,  as 
soon  as  business  will  permit." 

"  It  will  be  one  of  the  pleasures  of  my  life,"  said  Mrs.  Millyard, 
as  she  walked  up  beside  Mr.  Millyard  and  caressed  him  on  the 
shoulder. 

"  I  feel  very  proud  of  my  noble  son-in-law,"  said  Madame  de 
Ampbert.  "  And  yon  both,  and  the  children,  have  my  blessings. 
I  live  now  only  but  for  you  all.  You  shall  have  all  my  worldly 
possessions." 

"  O,  mother,  Mr.  Millyard  will  soon  have  more  money  than  he 
will  know  what  to  do  with.  He  has  acquired  the  foundation  for 
the  largest  fortune  in  the  world.  It  is  near  where  he  once  prac- 
tised law  in  North  Carolina.  And  strange,  romantic,  as  it  is,  he 
met  up  with  it  through  the  husba  d  of  the  lady  to  whom  he  was 
engaged  to  be  married  when  I  first  knew  him.  And,  mother,  she 
is  beautiful." 

"  Watch  out,  my  children,  that  you  do  not  tempt  fortune  too 
far." 

"In  what  way,  mother?"  inquired  Mrs.  Millyard  somewhat 
eagerly. 

"  My  child,  I  merely  make  the  admonition ;  let  it  be  in  whatso- 
ever direction." 

These  were  ominous  words  to  Rittea.  Without  trying  she 
somehow  continued  to  remember  the  presentation  to  Mrs.  Dalgal 
by  Mr.  Millyard  of  the  -beautiful  thirty-thousand-dollar  cluster  of 
emerald-diamond  gems.  Firmly,  nevertheless,  she  suppressed  any 
symptoms  she  mav  have  felt  of  a  jealous  nature.  Her  proud 
spirit  would  not  yield  to  that  indiscretion. 


Retrospectively  Introspective.  225 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Delarue,  accompanied  by  their  children,  called 
that  evening.  Comparisons  of  the  two  boys  and  the  two  girls 
were  made.  The  disparity  in  their  ages  were  the  reverse  of  what 
they  desired.  However,  they  decided  upon  the  only  alternative, 
that  of  waiting  for  time  and  themselves  to  decide  their  fate  be- 
tween them. 

Next  day  while  taking  lunch  at  Victor's,  Millyard  took  occasion 
to  make  some  slight  animadversions : 

"  Mike,  I  have  the  noblest  woman  in  the  world  for  a  wife ;  she 
is  beautiful  and  I  love  her  dearly,  not  alone  on  account  of  what  she 
has  done  for  me,  but  on  account  of  her  nobleness  of  heart  and  her 
own  sweet  self.  Life  would  be  worthless  to  me  without  her.  But 
I  do  wish  I  did  not  know  that  her  mother  is  part  a  negress." 

"  Gracious,  man !  "  exclaimed  Mike.  "  Did  you  ever  swallow  a 
clam  in  the  dark  and  think  it  was  an  oyster?  It  was  just  as 
good." 

"  Yes,  but  if  you  wanted  an  oyster  and  found  out  the  difference 
then  it  grated  on  the  palate.  I  know  I  ought  to  be  a  happv  man, 
and  I  am  a  happy  man.  I  have  now  everything  I  want  and  am  in 
a  fair  way  to  make  not  only  millions  but  hundreds  of  millions,  and 
could  then  buy  an  empire  outright  in  fee  simple.  But  there  is 
something  gnawing  at  my  vitals.  There  is  not  another  man  to 
whom  I  would  confess  this,  and  I  would  not  do  so  to  you,  only 
for  the  fact  that  you  know  all  about  it  already  and  that  you  were 
my  proven  friend  before  my  marriage  and  have  since  demon- 
strated your  continued  devotion.  Hence,  I  say  I  would  not  tell 
any  other  person  this  but  you  and  I  believe  you  will  not  abuse  my 
confidence." 

"  You  are  right  in  so  believing,"  said  Delarue  earnestly  and 
seriously.  "  While  it  is  true  that  I  will  not  under  any  circum- 
stances abuse  your  confidence,  I  want  to  reason  with  you,  as  you 
would  with  me,  and  tell  you  frankly  that  you  are  brewing,  yes, 
generating  your  own  misery  and,  doubtless,  your  own  downfall 
and  ruin.  Now  please  desist.  Do  it  for  my  sake  and  the  sake  of 
your  charming,  gentle  wife,  and  especially  your  beautiful  innocent 
children.  You  cannot  afford  it.  It  is  beneath  you.  You  are  too 
noble  to  persist  in  it.  Give  it  up,  stop  it  right  where  you  are. 
Damn  clams  and  oysters,  too,  when  it  comes  to  that.  You  are  in 
the  boat,  too ;  donVsink  it.  Others  will  sink  with  you.  Millyard, 
be  a  man !  Be  yourself !  Now  do  not  ever  let  that  idea  enter 
your  head  again.     If  it  does  beat  it  down!  " 

IS 


226  The  Lady  of  New  Orleans. 

Delarue  had  warmed  to  his  subject  and  become  energetic  in 
his  speech  He  emphasized  his  remarks  with  vehement  gesticula- 
tions, concluding  by  slamming  his  fist  on  the  table. 

"  Mike,"  calmly  remarked  Millyard,  as  he  sipped  the  last  of 
his  champagne,  "  you  are  a  philosopher.  I  will  do  it,  so  help  me 
God.  I  intend  to  rear  and  educate  my  boy  in  such  way  and  man- 
ner that  he  can,  should  it  ever  be  brought  into  public  discussion 
that  he  has  a  taint  of  negro  blood  in  his  veins,  be  elected  to  any 
office,  or  even  the  Presidency  of  these  United  States ;  that  is,  fill 
the  office  if  elected.  But  you  know  if  the  taint  of  blood  should  be 
ever  made  against  him  he  could  never  be  elected  President,  no 
matter  on  what  party's  ticket  he  might  be  a  candidate.  The  North 
would  not  vote  for  him  and  you  know  the  South  would  not.  How- 
ever, a  very  rich  man  has  little  show  to  be  President.  But,  as  I 
say,  I  want  my  son  to  be  qualified  for  filling  any  office,  even  Chief 
Justice  of  the  Supreme  Court.  Therefore  he  must  needs  be  a 
statesman.  They  are  scarce.  A  statesman  must  have  a  practical 
knowledge  of  all  affairs,  everything,  from  the  bottom  as  he  goes 
up,  and  to  gain  this  he  must  be  a  politician.  My  son  will  be  a 
gentleman.  Hence,  with  all  the  instincts  appertaining  to  a  gen- 
tleman, ignorant,  as  he  will  be  of  the  taint  in  his  blood,  when  he 
becomes  a  candidate  for  the  state  legislature,  the  stepping  stone, 
some  opposing  party  man,  hoodlum,  or  henchman  would  bring 
out  the  charge  (taint  of  blood).  Then  can't  you  see  what  an 
awkward  position  my  son  would  be  placed  in  ?  The  fact  would 
come  out  to  him  for  the  first  time.  He  would  brood  over  it,  and 
probably  inquire  into  it.  Or  he  would  deny  it  and  then  they 
would  prove  it  by  one  or  two  affidavits  based  on  hearsay.  But  it 
would  put  him  on  notice.  Naturally  he  would  secretly  inquire 
into  the  matter  and  find  it  to  be  true.  Then  he  would  throw  up 
the  sponge,  a  humiliated,  mortified  man.  Then  where  will  the 
end  be?  Live?  Of  course  he  would.  But  ambition  stunted 
and  thwarted  produces  a  nonentity  in  life.  No  good  to  himself ; 
no  good  to  his  fellow  man.  A  weary  dispenser  of  nothing  but 
stolid  cash  charity,  and  that  not  appreciated,  but  taken  as  a  mat- 
ter of  fact  and  claimed  by  right  To  what  end  does  this  lead  us  ? 
Think.  Were  it  suddenly  proven  to  any  man  of  social  pride,  and 
to  be  a  gentleman  is  to  have  that  pride,  that  his  blood  is  tainted 
with  negro  blood  how  would  he  feel  ? 

"  You  are  delving  into  life  more  seriously  and  practically  than 
I  had  anticipated,  my  dear  Millyard.     But  with  your  intelligence 


Retrospectively  Introspective.  227 

and  position  in  life  I  think  you  will  readily  concede  that  your 
own  words,  and  your  solicitude  for  your  son's  future,  will  suffice 
to  illustrate  to  you  the  impracticality  and  error  of  your  brood- 
ing over  the  very  same  cause,  in  effect,  of  what  you  complain 
your  son  should  not  be  made  the  innocent  victim.  Do  you  see? 
You  have  done  no  wrong.  Your  wife  has  done  no  wrong. 
Why  chastise  yourselves  mentally  unnecessarily  for  something 
antecedent  to  your  life  over  which  neither  of  you  had  any  con- 
trol ?  Make  the  best  of  what  you  are,  wh".t  you  inherited.  True 
the  sins  of  the  fathers  shall  be  visited  and  so  forth,  but  when  they 
are  visited,  a  person,  one  who  wants  to  do  right,  and  does  right, 
may  atone  his  share  to  some  extent  by  acquiescing  in  meekness 
while  holding  his  head  superbly  aloft.  Do  not  thou  sin  and  let 
them  be  visited  also." 

"  Alike,  I  make  you  a  full  Bishop  on  the  spot.  You  give  me 
great  comfort.  I  thought  I  was  a  philosopher.  Well,  I  am,  in 
any  other  case  except  my  own.  Somehow  I  do  not  always  like 
doing  as  I  yvould  tell  others  to  do.  Still,  if  I  stop  to  think  I  know 
which  is  the  right  and  which  is  the  wrong.  I  do  not  mind  doing 
the  right.  I  prefer  to  do  the  right.  It  is  easier.  It  runs  more 
smoothly.  There  is  less  friction.  Fewer  accidents.  I  will  now 
tell  you  what  I"  can  do. 

"  I  can  keep  my  family  with  me  up  at  the  mines  in  North  Caro- 
lina on  the  plea  of  business  requiring  me  to  be  there,  which  is 
the  case  if  I  do  the  subject  justice.  If  I  remain  away  from  the 
scene  of  my  dear,  good  old  mother-in-law  the  idea  will  not  haunt 
me  so  forcibly  and  continuously  Yet  she  told  me  yesterday  she 
must  have  the  children  to  care  for.  To  take  them  away  from 
her  would  jeopardize  her  longevity.  My  mother  also  desires  to 
see  the  children.     So  there  it  is. 

"  Mike,"  continued  Millyard,  "  I  never  had  one  word  of  praise 
or  urging  encouragement  from  any  person  in  any  affair  of  life 
until  it  was  done  by  you.  I  hoped  and  longed  for  some  one  to 
praise  me ;  in  every  effort  I  made  I  always  thought  surely  some- 
one would  say  a  good  cheering  word,  but  alas  it  never  came  until 
it  came  from  you.  Now,  however,  I  will  take  your  admonition 
and  stand  up  under  the  ordeal,  I  assure  you  of  that." 

A  brother  is  not  always,  or  invariably,  so  confiding  as  two 
friends  who  have  been  made  so  by  adverse  circumstances.  These 
two  men  had  both  been  reared  "from  childhood  in  the  old-time, 
self-same  way.     They  had  both  found  the  same  cavernous  holes 


228  The  Lady  of  New  Orleans. 

and  stumbling  stones.  Furthermore,  they  had  from  similar  un- 
lofty  perches  hit  the  prototype  in  like  soft,  self-same  spot.  True? 
Brave?  Yea,  as  much  so  as  the  truest  and  the  bravest.  There 
was  no  guile  in  them.  Their  love  for  each  other  was  beautiful. 
A  man  without  another  to  back  him  in  all  emergencies  is  not 
much  of  a  man. 


Millyard  Gets  a  Dividend.  229 


CHAPTER  XXXIX. 

MILLYARD  GETS  A  DIVIDEND. 

"  Galen,  my  dear  friend,  I  am  glad  to  meet  you,"  said  Mill- 
yard  as  he  stepped  from  the  railway  coach  at  Hickory  at  noon  and 
his  hand  was  grasped  by  that  of  Galen  Dalgal,  Esquire,  four 
weeks  from  the  time  it  was  before. 

11  I  received  your  telegram  and  am  glad  to  welcome  you, 
Alpha,"  replied  Dalgal,  as  they  started  oft  for  his  house.  "  I 
was  out  at  the  mines  day  before  yesterday  and  that  fellow  Wort- 
man  is  just  playing  thunder " 

'What?  Not  doing  right?"  interposed  Millyard  abruptly 
and  eagerly. 

"  Great  Csesar!  Napoleon!  Jackson  and  the  whole  kit!  No,  no, 
the  other  way,"  ejaculated  Dalgal  in  a  highly  exclamatory  man- 
ner. "By  thunder!  He  is  taking  out  more  in  one  day,  yes,  in 
two  hours,  than  you  paid  for  the  whole  business.  Mind  you 
however,  there  is  no  other  person  outside  of  the  Professor -and 
myself  who  know  anything  about  it.  He  only  let  me  into  the 
secret  on  account  of  our  confidential  relationship.  I  tell  you  he 
is  a  wonderful  man.  He  knows  everything.  He  can  turn  sand 
into  money.  Why  sir,  he  is  taking  the  sand  out  of  the  creek  and 
selling  it  for  some  purpose  at  eight  cents  a  pound,  and  you  know 
sand  weighs  heavy  ?  He  calls  it  monazite.  But  it  comes  by  an- 
other sight  nearer  being  moneyzite.  He  is  turning  everything 
into  money.  He  says  he  is  making  it  all  for  you,  because  you  are 
the  only  man  who  ever  gave  him  latitude  to  do  as  he  pleased,  and 
furnished  him  the  money  to  do  it  with." 

By  this  time  they  were  seated  in  Mr.  Dalgal's  surrey  and  on  the 
wav  to  his  residence.  Mr.  Millvard's  valet  assisted  by  Dalgfal's 
man  were  looking  after  the  baggage. 

"  Galen,  do  you  mean  to  tell  me  that  he  has  struck  it  sure 
enough  rich  ?  " 

"  That  is  just  exactly  what  I  am  telling  you,"  retorted  Dal- 


230  The  Lady  of  New  Orleans. 

gal.  '  I  saw  it  all  myself.  Besides,  don't  you  remember,  let  me 
see?  Don't  you  remember  when  you  and  I  were  talking  about 
the — er,  the  other  day " 

"  Galen,  you  have  been  dreaming  again.  We  had  no  conver- 
sation the  other  day.  I  was  in  New  Orleans  and,  I  presume,  you 
were  here.  Let  me  tell  you,  while  on  this  point :  I  have  hit  the 
crack,  as  you  term  it,  every  time  I  have  spat,  as  you  say,  since 
you  told  me  about  that  being  the  symbolization,  as  it  were,  of 
your  success.  Besides,  I  do  not  plant  my  foot  square  across 
the  seam,  or  crack  in  the  sidewalk ;  nor  across  the  imaginary  line 
from  pillar  to  post.  I  straddle  them  every  time.  So  vou  see,  if 
I  have  success  it  will  be  through  education  imparted  by  you. 
Watch  out  now  that  I  do  not  excel  my  teacher.  But,  I  must 
confess  an  antipathy  to  superstitious  notions,  even  though  I  do 
involuntarily  possess  them." 

'  You  need  not  call  it  superstition,"  retorted  Dalgal.  "  Just 
go  ahead  and  do  it.  I  may  as  well  call  it  religion.  It  is  simply 
the  doing  a  thing  which  if  adhered  to,  persisted  in,  leads  to  sat- 
isfactory given  results  ;  and  is  nothing  but  Faith.  If  you  have 
faith  in  anything  stick  to  it.  I  have  faith  that  has  led"  me  into 
the  way  of  believing  that  if  I  do  certain  things  certain  results  will 
inevitably  follow.  These  things  serve  to  teach  me  to  be  cautious  of 
what  I  am  doing  and  where  I  am  walking.  What  do  you  think  of 
that?" 

"  I  suppose  it  is  a  sort  of  mind  employment,"  replied  Millyard. 
'  Probably  an  adjunct  of  religious  sentiment.  Any  belief  having 
faith,  which  is  a  requisite,  in  the  supernatural,  is  a  species  of  relig- 
ion. Religion  is  nothing  but  faith  in  the  concrete.  I  agree  with 
you,  if  you  have  faith  in  its  efficacy  for  your  good,  adhere  and 
conform  to  it.  •  For  if  you  do  differently  you  do  violence  to  and 
shock  your  own  conscience." 

"  I  do  not  wish  to  anticipate  your  gratification,  Alpha.  There 
comes  Professor  Wortman  now,"  said  Dalgal. 

"  Good  evening,  Professor,"  said  Millyard.  They  arrived  at 
Dalgal's  residence  about  the  same  time. 

1  You  are  going  out  with  me  this  afternoon,  I  suppose  ?  "  in- 
quiringly said  the  Professor,  as  they  halted  simultaneously. 

'  Not  to-night,  Professor,"  interposed  Dalgal.  "  You  just  let 
the  boys  take  your  teams  with  mine  to  my  barn  and  you  remain 
here  all  night,  unless  you  want  to  send  them  back  this  afternoon." 

"  I  guess  they  better  remain  over  until  morning,"  slowly  said 


Millyard  Gets  a  Dividend.  231 

the  Professor ;  "  we  have  some  gold  and  gems  which  I  wish  to  ex- 
press. Besides,  I  have  to  get  some  provisions  and  other  sup- 
plies." 

When  they  were  in  the  house  in  answer  to  a  question  of  Mill- 
yard  as  to  how  he  was  getting  along,  Professor  Wortman  gave  an 
account  very  much  as  Mr.  Dalgal  had  forecast. 

"  You  and  my  old  friend  Dalgal  are  evidently  feeding  me  on 
very  bright  expectations,"  said  Millyard,  when  the  Professor  had 
finished. 

"  Mr.  Dalgal,  with  your  permission,  please  have  those  trunks 
brought  in  the  house,"  said  Professor ;  "  I  will  show  Mr.  Millyard 
what  we  are  talking  about.  Instead  of  our  wanting  more  money 
from  him  we  are  prepared  to  give  him  two  or  three  million  dol- 
lars, and  I  think  I  have  here  the  stuff  that  will  fetch  about  two 
million  more,  and  we  have  over  twice  this  much  more  of  un- 
mounted gems  at  the  mines." 

The  treasure  of  glittering  brilliant  gems  in  two  trunks  was  ex- 
hibited to  Millyard's  astounded  gaze.  The  trunks  were  heavy  and 
strongly  bound,  trunks  somewhat  similar  to  those  used  by  hard- 
ware drummers. 

"Great  Scott!  What  can  we  do  with  all  the  money?"  ex- 
claimed Millyard  when  he  had  examined  the  glittering  contents 
of  the  trunks. 

"  Do  good  with  it,  my  dear  sir,"  rejoined  Professor  Wortman. 
"  As  long  as  you  do  good  with  it  you  cannot  have  too  much." 

"  Just  so,"  said  Millyard,  reflectively.  "  I  suppose  that  means  to 
establish  and  maintain  schools  of  practical  training  in  all  pursuits 
of  life  ?  eh  ?  But  as  for  me  not  a  solitary  cent  for  the  conversion  of 
the  so-called  heathen.  I  regard  the  training,  education  and  civili- 
zation of  my  own  friends  and  neighbors,  my  own  people,  my  kith 
and  kindred,  those  people  under  the  American  flag,  as  paramount 
to  all  other  pecuniary  duties.  I  know  a  thousand  different  ways 
in  which  money  can  be  placed  to  the  very  great  and  everlasting 
good  of  those  people  around  us.  Such  disposition  of  my  surplus 
money  would  necessarily  be  to  my  own  benefit  here  in  this  life,  as 
well  as  hereafter.  I  know  of  more  than  a  thousand  families  who, 
with  a  few  thousand  dollars,  could  be  brought,  not  alone  out  of 
want,  but  into  the  avenues  of  great  usefulness  in  life.  I  would  ad- 
minister to  them.  No  deserving  man  in  want  shall  apply  to  me 
in  vain." 

"  That  is  all  right  in  theory,   Alpha,  my  dear  sir,"  ventured 


232  The  Lady  of  New  Orleans. 

Dalgal.  "  But  when  would  you  arrive  at  the  point  and  time 
wherein  this  all-saving  philanthropic  humanitarianism  would  as- 
sume the  ascendency?  You  think  now  you  would  do  all  these 
things,  and  perhaps  more ;  but  it  is  a  serious  question  as  to  the 
when,  the  period,  when  you  arrive  at  that  point  when  you  are 
willing  to  commence  dispensing  this  unbounded,  yea,  much 
needed  charity. 

"  A  man  says  he  will,  but  when  he  accumulates  his  wealth  he 
seems  to  fail  to  comprehend  the  point  and  time  at  which  he  shall 
commence  the  proper  and  judicious  distribution  of  the  surplus 
wealth  which  he  has  acquired.  In  other  words,  he  has  no  sur- 
plus." 

"  Yes,  I  guess  I  cannot  say;  I  am  not  as  other  men,"  responded 
Millyard.  "  Yet  I  am  of  the  opinion  at  present  that  I  shall  give  of 
my  means  to  those  of  my  people,  my  countrymen,  who  are  deserv- 
ing, and  see  the  good  of  my  contribution  while  I  am  living.  It  will 
enable  me  to  slide  out  of  the  world  in  a  happy  frame  of  mind.  Just 
as  soon  as  I  give  a  family  two  or  three  thousand  dollars  as  a  starter 
in  life  I  would  then  like  to  get  on  a  house-top  with  a  spy-glass  and 
watch  the  old  man  and  the  old  woman  and  their  youngsters  go  to 
wriggling  and  dancing  and  working  like  bees,  new  life  and  new 
hope  in  the  house,  and  a  blessing  on  the  God-sent  messenger  with 
relief.  I  could  risk  myself  to  fly  off  the  roof  without  wings.  My 
good  and  charming  wife  has  taught  me  practical  charity.  I 
often  go  and  see  the  objects  of  my  bounty  in  person,  as  she  does 
hers.    Then  we  give  more  or  less  as  the  case  requires." 

Next  morning  the  party  set  out  for  Alexander  as  soon  as  Pro- 
fessor Wortman  had  laid  in  his  supplies  and  arrived  at  the  mines 
by  three  o'clock.     What  Millyard  saw  was  a  startling  revelation. 

While  standing  on  the  wide  veranda  viewing  the  scene,  the 
workmen  around  as  well  as  inside  the  big  house  down  in  the  val- 
ley, the  miners  and  the  men  handling  the  big  sluice  of  water  ob- 
liquely further  west  on  the  opposite  hill,  wheelbarrows  laden  with 
Hiddenite  gem-bearing  stones,  all  presenting  a  scene  of  anima- 
tion and  rushing  activity,  Millyard  suddenly  inquired: 

"  Are  these  miners  like  other  miners — strike  on  you?  " 

"  I  do  not  know  about  that,"  replied  Professor  Wortman. 
"  We  have  not  had  a  strike  so  far.  But  the  thing  is  becoming 
fashionable.     I  would  not  be  surprised  to  have  a  strike." 

"  Strikes,"  said  Millyard,  "  render  industrial  enterprises  haz- 
ardous investments." 


Millyard  Gets  a  Dividend.  233 

"  Exactly,"  replied  Wortman.  "  I  could  not  run  this  business 
two  months  without  that  high  fence  inclosing  this  place.  I  will 
not  keep  a  man  in  here  who  cannot  make  his  two  dollars  a  day — 
and  from  that  on  up  to  ten  and  twelve.  A  man  who  cannot  earn 
three  dollars  a  day  is  in  the  way  of  others  who  can  earn  more 
than  that.  I  have  none  but  good  men  in  our  employ  and  they  all 
seem  satisfied." 

Mr.  Millyard  now  entered  upon  a  more  particular  and  thorough 
examination  over  the  grounds,  through  the  diggings,  in  both  the 
gem  and  the  gold  mines ;  throughout  the  machinery  plants  and 
the  workshops,  where  the  gems  are  lapidaried  and  the  gold  is  mal- 
eated ;  the  finishing-rooms,  where  the  gems  are  set  in  gold  mount- 
ings, as  per  specifications  furnished  by  an  expert  designer  and  his 
assistants,  who  examine  each  gem  and  specify  in  writing  and  de- 
sign the  style  and  manner  of  its  setting,  which  is  sent  with  the 
gem  from  one  expert  to  the  other  along  the  line  of  workmen  until 
it  comes  out  at  the  other  end  a  finished  piece  of  artistic  workman- 
ship ready  for  the  eye  of  the  connoisseur.  Then  it  is  registered 
by  one  of  the  bookkeepers  and  by  the  cashier,  with  its  number 
and  description,  together,  with  a  private  mark  on  the  gem  and 
the  setting. 

After  this  the  valuable  contents  of  the  huge  steel  vault,  the 
products,  were  examined,  and  then  Millyard  was  shown  the  books. 
Going  into  his  private  office,  Professor  Wortman  said : 

"  I  have  here  a  private  statement  of  the  returns  on  shipments, 
and  here  are  the  vouchers  and  reports  themselves.  I  keep  this  ac- 
count myself  and  do  not  allow  the  bookkeepers  or  the  cashier  even 
to  know  anything  about  it.  I  do  not  wish  them  to  know  the 
money  volume  of  business  we  are  doing.  There  are,  and  you  can 
readily  perceive,  reasons  why  this  should  be  the  case.  I  want  v,o 
one  becoming  offended  and  then  peaching.  You  can  see  from  this 
statement  that  we  are  producing  about  two  million  dollars'  worth 
a  day ;  or,  that  is,  at  the  rate  of  fifty  million  a  month.  I  have  paid 
for  the  machinery  and  everything.  We  do  not  owe  a  cent,  except 
to  you.  Only  yesterday  I  ordered  fifty  thousand  dollars'  worth  of 
new  machinery  the  inventor  has  not  yet  patented,  only  made  appli- 
cation. I  have  the  money  to  pay  cash  for  it  on  arrival.  Besides, 
I  have  the  money  here  to  pay  you  back  what  you  loaned  and 
enough  to  pay  you  a  dividend  of  three  million.  Is  that  doing- 
well  ?  " 

"  Great  Je-ru-sa-lem !  "   exclaimed.    Millyard.     "  You   stagger 


234  The  Lady  of  New  Orleans. 

me  again.    That  is  astounding.    It  is  startling  and  dazzling  beyond 
all  comprehension." 

"  I  would  like  to  let  you  have  fifty'  thousand  dollars  iri  cash," 
said  Professor  Wortman,  "  if  you  care  to  handle  that  amount  on 
vour  person,  and  give  you  a  check  for  four  hundred  and  fifty 
thousand  dollars,  and  the  balance,  three  million  dollars,  is  in  both 
domestic  and  foreign  exchange.  One  hundred  thousand  dollars 
is  in  return  of  your  loan.  That  leaves  three  million  four  hundred 
thousand  dollars  as  a  dividend,  which  makes  you  a  profit  of  three 
million  one  hundred  thousand  on  your  investment  of  one  hundred 
thousand  at  first  and  then  the  two  hundred  thousand  you  paid  Mr. 
Dalgal.  Except  the  six  thousand  you  paid  for  the  other  tract  of 
land.  If  that  does  not  dazzle  you,  nor  disturb  your  pulse,  I  guess 
you  are  proof." 

"  Ah,  my  dear  Professor,  you  are  trying  to  test  my  brain 
power,"  jocularly  replied  Millyard.  "  Give  me  the  cash  in  as  large 
bills  as  you  have." 

"  It  is  already  counted  in  the  largest  bills  I  have ;  we  need  the 
small  ones,"  replied  Professor  Wortman,  as  he  produced  several 
packages  of  currency,  which  he  placed  on  the  table  in  the  center  of 
the  room. 

"  This  is  hardly  a  good  beginning;  you  count  it,"  he  said.  "  If 
the  output  holds  out  as  it  is,  and  I  have  calculated  that  it  will,  at 
least  a  few  years,  and  nothing  happens  to  us.  and  you  can  help  me 
get  a  good  market  for  these  other  gems,  there  ought  to  be  nearly 
one  hundred  million  dollars  ready  for  a  dividend  in  about  two 
months." 

"Well,  well!"  said  Millyard.  "That  beats  Dalgal's  dreams, 
but  it  is  the  only  thing  that  could.  Professor,  it  is  coming  too 
easy. 

"  I  have  worked  a  lifetime  for  it,  and  I  am  an  old  man,"  he 
said.  "  I  may  not  have  found  it  now  had  I  not  struck  up  with  an 
idiot  at  a  cabin  in  the  woods  who  can  see  only  in  the  night-time ; 
but  then,  he  can  see  in  the  ground.  He  told  me  about  the  place 
and  who  owned  it.  Then  it  was  easy  enough  for  me  to  find  it. 
Then  I  accidentally  met  up  with  you.  The  balance  you  know. 
There  is  about  it  some  strange  mysterious  secret  to  me.  I  was  in 
Australia  when  I  dreamed  about  it.  I  come  here  and  searched  for 
months  all  in  vain  until  I  met  the  moon-eyed  idiot  who  saw  the 
gems  in  the  ground  through  the  rocks  in  the  night-time.  Then 
when  I  found  Mr.  Dalgal  I  found  him  to  be  a  dreamer  of  most 


Millyard  Gets  a  Dividend.  235 

mysterious  power.  It  was  almost  equally  as  marvelous  how  I  met 
up  with  you.  I  have  given  up  the  task  of  accounting'  for  it  all  and 
content  myself  with  the  facts  as  they  are." 

Professor  Wortman  then  placed  from  his  safe  on  the  table  the 
bills  of  exchange,  the  check  and  the  receipts  to  be  signed.  Mill- 
yard  proceeded  with  the  counting  of  the  money,  while  the  Profes- 
sor went  out. 

When  Millyard  finished  counting  and  adding  the  figures  the 
Professor  returned.  He  handed  Millyard  a  cluster  of  the  gems 
in  a  setting  for  his  bosom,  saying : 

;'  Here  is  a  cluster  of  the  Hiddenites,  which  I  had  the  chief  de- 
signer to  make  a  design  of  the  setting  especially  for  you,  and  the 
goldsmith  did  his  best  work  on  it.  The  value  of  it  is  estitru  ed  at 
sixty-eight  thousand  dollars.  Here  is  the  certificate  which  goes 
with  it.  This  is  a  cluster  I  had  made  for  myself.  Is  it  not  hand- 
somely set?  I  thought  I  would  make  a  present  of  one  to  you  and 
one  to  myself." 

Observing  that  the  gems  in  the  cluster  the  Professor  was  pre- 
senting to  himself  were  not  as  large  as  those  given  to  him,  Mill- 
yard  asked  him  the  value  of  his. 

He  replied  about  twenty  or  twenty-five  thousand. 

;'  Nonsense,"  said  Millyard,  handing  it  back  to  him.  "  Go  get 
you  one  just  as  handsome  as  this  or  have  one  specially  made,  and 
accept  it  with  my  compliments.  Also  have  a  breast-pin  made  for 
your  wife  and  also  one  for  mine." 

"  I  have  now  the  very  best  thing  for  your  wife,"  said  the  Pro- 
fessor. "  It  is  a  magnificent  Maltese  cross  of  gems  attached  to  a 
necklace  set  with  gems  all  around  it.  I  will  get  it  for  you  now. 
It  is  rated  at  one  hundred  and  fifteen  thousand  dollars." 

The  Professor  went  and  got  the  necklace-cross.  Millyard  eyed 
it  eagerly  curious  a  few  moments,  then  said  : 

'  Magnificent  vanity ;  she  will  not  wear  it,  but  I  will  give  it  to 
her." 

"  Did  you  notice  that  large  necklace  with  pendants  and  a 
cross?  "  asked  the  Professor.  "  It  is  listed  at  three  hundred  thou- 
sand dollars.  Some  dealer  will  get  that  and  sell  it  for  half  a 
million." 

'  The  only  limit  to  the  business  is  the  amount  of  the  deposit  of 
the  gems  which  nature  has  made,"  suggested  Millyard.  "  Still, 
the  less  of  them  the  better  the  price  we  can  receive  for  those  we 
do  get" 


236  The  Lady  of  New  Orleans. 

"  That  reminds  me,  there  is  something  for  you  to  do,"  said  Pro- 
fessor Wortman,  as  he  gesticulated  by  tossing  up  his  left  hand  at 
an  angle  of  about  fifty  degrees  with  only  the  index  finger  ex- 
tended and  gazing  into  Millyard's  eyes. 

"  What  is  that  ?     I  am  at  your  service,"  he  replied. 

Drawing  his  leather-cushioned  office-chair  a  little  closer  toward 
Millyard,  he  answered : 

"  You  will  have  to  make  a  trip  to  Europe  at  once  to  look  after 
the  sales  of  our  gems  and  find  a  more  favorable  market  for  our 
other  beryls.  Hiddenite  takes  care  of  itself  and  sells  as  fast  as  we 
can  land  them  in  Europe.  Our  system  of  giving  a  numbered 
certificate  of  guarantee  with  each  gem  helps  to  insure  their  ready 
sale.  I  think  the  system  could  be  adopted  to  advantage  with  the 
other  gems.  I  was  troubled  about  my  alloys  until  I  struck  a  streak 
of  luck  over  on  that  other  tract  of  land  of  yours  about  ten  days 
ago.  I  went  ahead  and  am  working  on  it  without  your  per- 
mission." 

"  That  is  what  I  bought  it  for,"  said  Millyard.  "  Well,  I  can 
sail  for  Europe  as  soon  as  I  get  back  to  New  Orleans.  I  can  go 
from  there  to  Havre  on  one  of  the  steamers  of  a  line  of  them  in 
which  we  are  largely  interested.  It  is  my  desire  to  stop  over  in 
Atlanta  :  I  want  to  see  my  mother  and  my  sister.  I  must  telegraph 
my  wife  that  I  am  coming ;  a  trip  to  Europe  has  upset  my  other 
plans.     Can  you  send  a  message  over  to  Hickory  ?  ,: 

"  The  hack  starts  in  ten  minutes,"  replied  the  Professor.  "  I 
will  send  it  by  the  hackman." 

Next  day  the  two  happy  gentlemen  and  the  third  one  with  care 
and  thought  plainly  knit  on  his  wrinkled  brow  parted  company  at 
the  mines  and  Millyard  and  Dalgal  were  being  rapidly  driven  to 
Hickory  in  the  latter's  carriage,  where  the  former  was  to  board 
the  railroad  train  bound  for  Salisbury,  there  to  change  cars  for 
Atlanta.  Millyard  put  the  question  which  was  uppermost  in 
his  mind : 

"  Galen,  do  you  have  any  regrets  about  selling  vour  interests 
here?" 

"  To  tell  you  the  truth,  Alpha,  I  do  regret  it.  But  I  never  grieve 
over  spilt  milk  or  anything  else  lost  to  me.  In  regard  to  that 
point  I  suppose  I  could  ask  the  same  question  of  my  friend  Judge 
Selia,  to  whom  I  swapped  my  old  plow-horse  and  wornout  buggy 
for  this  tract  of  land.  Don't  you  think  he  regrets  it?  He  has  the 
same  right  to  be  envious  as  I  am  on  that  question.    I  have  to  be 


Millyard  Gets  a  Dividend.  237 

satisfied.  For  that  reason  I  am  satisfied.  Besides,  my  friend  has 
what  he  wanted  for  the  land  and  I  have  what  I  wanted  for  it.  The 
difference  is,  I  have  out  of  it  a  full  competency  for  life,  while  he 
has  not.  I  will  be  easy  and  have  but  few  cares  with  the  ample 
fortune  I  received  for  it." 

"  That  is  just  the  way  I  shall  feel  if  I  can  turn  round  and  sell. 
I  would  not  envy  the  man  or  men  to  whom  I  mav  sell  at  my  price, 
even  were  they  to  make  untold  millions  out  of  it." 

"  Have  you  formed  any  plans  J.  '    inquired  Ealgal. 

"  Yes,  to  some  extent  I  have,"  Millyard  answered.  "  I  hope,  as 
I  saicl  to  you  previously,  that  I  may  be  able  to  sell  as  your  dream 
portended.  I  may  see  the  Rothschilds  about  it.  I  want  you  to 
dream  for  me  again  ;  your  services  in  that  way  will  be  worth  ten 
thousand  dollars  a  year  and  all  your  traveling  expenses.  I  pro- 
pose to  give  you  that  salary  from  this  time  forth.  So  you  must  tell 
me  your  dreams." 

"  I  can  spit  and  hit  the  crack  and  step  over  it  every  time ; 
I  did  so  to-day  ;  that  is  the  reason  why  you  are  now  making  me  this 
fine  unsolicited  offer.  But  I  do  not  know  so  much  about  dreaming 
to  order,  at  least  a  ready-made  fit." 

As  Millyard  stood,  en  the  platform  of  the  railway  coach  and 
the  train  moved  away,  he  cried : 

"  Galen,  don't  forget  to  dream." 

Dalgal  turned  away,  muttering  to  himself : 

"  How  is  a  man  to  set  about  to  not  forget  to  dream  ?  " 


^-^- 


238  The  Lady  of  New  Orleans. 


CHAPTER  XL. 

A    LIFE-EATING    CANKER.      ' 

Mr.  Alpha  Millyard  had  been  in  Atlanta  only  a  few  months  at 
a  time  on  only  a  few  occasions  since  the  autumn  of  the  year  just 
after  the  termination  of  the  civil  war.  He  was  reared  in  that  city, 
arriving  at  young  manhood,  but  yet  in  the  teens,  during  the  preva- 
lence of  the  fortunate  or  unfortunate  internecine  strife.  He  was 
now  on  a  visit  to  his  widowed  Confederate  mother. 

Strange  how  some  who  wore  the  secession  cockade  and  could 
whip  the  North  in  six  months  remained  at  home  and  then  fought 
the  war  over  again  in  the  newspapers  and  "  on  the  stump  "  and  in 
the  halls  during  the  remaining  dark-sorceried  sixties  and  the  whole 
of  the  Black  Friday  seventies.  Still,  there  is  an  eternal  fitness  in 
things  and  events.  The  scourging  of  the  South  will  make  it  event- 
ually the  top  rung  in  the  heaven-reaching  ladder  long  before  the 
sun  of  Austerlitz  or  Bunker  Hill,  Yorktown  or  Appomattox  sets 
on  America  as  sure  as  the  fate  of  the  Pleiades  depends  on  the  as- 
cendency of  the  sun  over  Leon.  Its  awakening  needs  but  the  hour 
and  the  man. 

O,  America !  listen  to  the  protean  sounds  of  the  Divinity  that 
stirs  within  you.  Mark  the  spots  that  beset  thee  and  draw  thy 
circle  round  them.  Otherwise  thou  wilt  fail !  Yea.  thou  wilt  turm 
ble  of  thyself,  thine  own  weight,  if  thou  heed'st  not.  Thou  art 
froward  in  thy  dealings  with  thyself. 

Alpha,  strange  to  relate,  unless  it  was  because  his  father  had 
been  a  Union  man,  although  a  rabid  democrat,  was  a  republican  in 
politics. 

Astonishing  are  the  ma-tings,  governed  as  they  are  by  the  bent 
of  the  mind,  these  affairs  of  love  and  politics. 

Mr.  Millyard  finding  himself  possessed  of  a  kindly  disposition 
through  the  indulgence  of  an  over-indulgent  but  very  solicitous 
father  and  the  ready  yielding  of  a  saintly  mother,  strangely  and 
summarily  disposed  of  his  mother's  hopes  for  him  in  the  future 


A  Life-Eating  Canker.  239 

by  renouncing  a  course  in  a  theological  school  and  waywardly  en- 
tering the  domain  of  law  as  a  pupil  in  the  establishment  of  a  pair 
of  well-known  and  successful  practitioners  at  the  bar.  Thus  it 
came  about  that  after  his  admission  to  the  bar  he  domiciled  him- 
self, a  raw  recruit,  as  an  advocate  and  counselor-at-law  before  the 
sometimes  uncertain,  worm-eaten  bar  of  justice  at  Hickory  and 
one  or  two  other  places  before  landing  in  New  Orleans. 

His  mother  and  sister,  Miss  Cecelia,  had  not  seen  him  in  sev- 
eral years,  albeit  correspondence  between  them  was  comparatively 
regular. 

Meeting  him  at  the  threshold  of  her  humble  cottage  home  his 
mother  threw  her  arms  about  his  neck  and  cried  in  joy. 

"  Ah,  my  boy,  Allie !  I  knew  you  would  come  again  some  time. 
I  bless  you  for  coming.  You  are  the  joy  of  my  heart  and  I  longed 
to  press  you  to  it." 

His  mother  had  hardly  done  caressing  him  before  the  old  serv- 
ant woman,  Peggy,  the  only  one  of  the  negroes  of  three  who  re- 
mained with  them  after  the  war,  came' wobbling  on  poky  legs 
through  the  hallway. 

"  Why,  Aunt  Peggy,"  exclaimed  Alpha.  '  Heaven's  blessings 
on  you.  You  still  here  with  mother  and  your  dear  Cecelia? 
Where  is  Cecelia  ?  " 

"  She  be  here'n  a  minit,  Mos  Allie.  You  got  ter  be  such  a  fine 
looking  gentleman.  We'se  all  bin  lookin'  fer  you  two  days.  Here 
comes  Miss  'Celia  now." 

"  There  is  my  buddie !  "  exclaimed  Miss  Cecelia,  as  she  entered 
the  hall  from  the  rear  porch.  She  ran  to  him,  adding:  "Allie, 
dear  buddie,  I  am  so  glad  you've  come." 

They  greeted  each  other  with  kisses  and  caresses.  They  all 
went  into  the  sitting-room,  including  Peggy,  and  entered  into  a 
round  of  conversation  concerning  themselves. 

Alpha,  of  co'urse,  must  needs  explain  all  about  himself ;  what 
had  transpired  in  his  life,  what  he  was  doing  and  what  he  in- 
tended doing.  All  that  his  mother  and  his  sister  knew  about  him 
or  his  business  was  that  they  had  been  receiving  a  hundred  and 
fifty  dollars  every  month  during  the  last  five  years  and  more, 
which  was  occasionally  accompanied  by  a  short  letter. 

"  Aunt  Peggy,  I  want  some  of  your  make  of  coffee,"  said 
Alpha ;  "  can  you  make  me  some  immediately  ?  " 

'  Yes,  chile,  you  shall  have  it  right  away."     Out  she  went. 

"  Have  you  really  become  so  vastly  wealthy  as  I  am  led  to  imag- 


240  The  Lady  of  New  Orleans. 

ine  by  what  you  wrote  us,  Allie  ?  "  inquired  his  mother.  His  sis- 
ter and  his  mother  always  called  him  "  Allie,"  a  pet  name  in  lieu 
of  Alpha. 

"  Well,  mother,  I  can  admit  that  I  am  really  quite  wealthy,  but 
I  am  growing-  so  much  more  wealthy  every  day  than  I  was  alto- 
gether before  that  if  it  continues  any  reasonable  length  of  time  I 
will  be  so  wealthy  I  will  be  missing  in  my  mind  as  to  what  dispo- 
sition to  make  of  it.  I  am  led  to  believe  that  at  present  I  am  mak- 
ing a  fortune  of  over  a  million  every  day.  I  am  in  great  hurry, 
proceeding  to  New  Orleans  to  take  one  of  my  own  steamers  for 
France  on  business  of  importance." 

'  You  will  remain  over  with  us  to-night,  won't  you,  buddie  ?  " 
?  ked  Miss  Cecelia,  a  beautiful  brunette,  who  was  now  about 
twenty-two  years  of  age,  and  a  charming,  tender-mannered  per- 
son. 

;'  I  guess  so,"  he  replied.  "  If  I  do  I  will  remain  until  after- 
noon. I  want  you  and  mother  to  tell  me  something  of  yourselves. 
Whom  are  you  to  marry?  "  addressing  his  sister. 

'  My  suitors  are  all  poor,  like  ourselves,"  replied  Cecelia,  "  but 
being  of  our  circle  are  elegant  gentlemen,  as  far  as  I  have  been 
able  to  ascertain.  Still,  I  have  not  made  up  my  mind  and  am  not 
trying  to  do  so." 

"  That  is  right,  my  dear  sister.  Do  not  marry  any  man  unless 
you  love  him  and  are  reasonably  sure  that  he  loves  you." 

Aunt  Pegg,  as  Mr.  Millyard  delighted  to  call  the  good  old  faith- 
ful colored  woman  servant,  announced  the  readiness  of  some  hot 
coffee  in  the  dining-room.  Thither  he  repaired  with  his  mother 
and  sister. 

"  Buddie,  what  was  that  terrible  ordeal  you  experienced  in  New 
York  about  which  you  intimated  something  in  two  of  your  let- 
ters ?  "  inquired  Cecelia  in  her  soft,  well  modulated  voice.  She 
was  a  woman  well  poised  in  speech,  with  unaffected  and  very  ten- 
der manners  like  her  mother,  devoid  of  any  symptom  of  boisterous 
laughter  or  undue  gesticulation,  merely  smiling,  accompanied  by  a 
merry  little  chuckle,  when,  and  only  when,  occasion  sanctioned 
such. 

'  That,  my  dear  sister,  is  a  very  delicate  matter,"  Alpha  re- 
plied. "  Still,  while  it  has  given  me  some  concern  in  peace  of 
mind,  it  probably  should  not  have  done  so.  and  I  suppose  you  and 
mother  are  entitled  to  my  knowledge  of  the  whole  affair.  My 
letters  have  to  some  extent  advised  you  of  the  terrible  troubles  I 


A  Life-Eating  Canker.  241 

had  in  New  Orleans  on  account  of  a  young  woman  who  fell  in 
love  with  me,  wherein  I  was  accused  of  abducting  her,  and  how 
the  dear  darling  woman  who  is  now  my  wife  came  to  my  aid  and 
rescued  me  from  a  conspiracy  that  was  basely  foul.  My  wife  was 
very  wealthy,  but  I  have  recently  added  an  hundred-fold  and  more 
to  my  fortune  above  what  she  voluntarily  gave  me.  She  had 
placed  me  and  our  two  children  absolutely  beyond  ever  being  in 
want  of  any  of  the  necessaries  of  life,  even  of  its  pleasures.  Yet, 
by  a  singular  and  most  extraordinary  coincidence  of  events,  inno- 
cently brought  about  by  myself,  it  developed  publicly  to  me  and  to 
our  guests  at  a  large  reception  and  banquet  held  at  our  house, 
which  we  gave  to  a  large  number  of  our  set  in  New  York  society, 
the  best,  that  my  wife  is  partly,  though  far  removed,  a  negress." 

"  Buddie,  I  am  astounded !  That  is  awful !  "  interrupted  Miss 
Cecelia.  "  My  nephew  and  my  niece  part  negro  ?  That  is  terrible  ! 
Do  the  people  all  know  it,  buddie?    Is  it  generally  known?  " 

"Alas!  I -do  not  know,"  he  sadly  replied.  ''  Nothing  is  ever 
said  to  me  about  it  and  never  will  be.  People  may  talk  about  it 
and  I  receive  no  intimations  concerning  it.  Of  course,  it  will  have 
more  or  less  influence  on  the  people  to  prejudice  them  against  us 
and  against  our  children  as  they  grow  up.  It  will  weigh  against 
their  future  marital  mating  and  perchance  their  happiness,  unless 
under  mercenary  considerations  it  is  rendered  different." 

"  Did  you  know,  my  son,  of  her  being  partly  a  negress  before 
you  married  her?  "  inquired  Mr.  Millyard's  mother. 

"  No,  mother ;  I  cannot  say  that  I  did,  nor  that  I  did  not,"  re- 
sponded Alpha.  He  then  went  on  and  related  the  incidents  about 
Bertha  Rosenstin  and  what  she  said  about  the  octoroon  on  that 
memorable  Sunday  morning.  He  added  that  he  did  not  give  cre- 
dence to  the  statement  of  the  woman  about  his  wife  being  an  oc- 
toroon, or  even  a  quadroon,  for  the  simple  reason  that  the  girl  was 
insanely    jealous.     In  conclusion    of  his    statement,  Alpha    said : 

"  Mother,  I  am  on  the  broad,  open  bosom  of  life ;  life  is  a  frail 
affair ;  it  hangs  on  slender  threads ;  it  is  hazardous,  positively 
dangerous  to  swamp  oneself  in  order  to  spite  or  satisfy  others.  A 
man  takes  a  wife  for  better  or  for  worse.  I  do  not  believe  he 
can  put  her  away,  hardly  even  on  Biblical  grounds. 

"  I  also  believe  that  God  intended  and  so  created  certain  races 

of  people  to  be  separate  and  that  they  should  not  intermarry. 

Else  why  did  He  place  the  distinguishing  marks  upon  them?   But 

suppose  this :  if  having  loved  and  married  innocently  I  were  so 

16 


242  The  Lady  of  New  Orleans. 

displeased  at  the  revelation  of  the  fact  that  my  wife  is  partly 
negress  that  I  desired  to  put  her  away,  what  would  become  of  my 
innocent  children?  Can  I  desert  them?  It  is  a  fearful  thought! 
And  a  heavy  responsibility  hangs  upon  me  to  their  mother,  as 
well  as  to  them  and  to  myself.  The  happiness  of  each  is  in- 
volved in  the  mastery  of  the  problem,  and  there  is  only  one  hon- 
orable solution.  Do  as  I  have  done;  continue  to  love  my  wife  and 
stick  to  her  until  death  us  do  part — a^  I  promised." 

"  It  makes  my  heart  feel  glad  to  hear  you  speak  those  noble 
sentiments,  my  son,"  said  his  mother  with  emotion.  "  A  mother 
can  never  lose  love  by  son  like  that." 

"  You  make  my  heart  feel  proud,  mother,"  with  tears  welling 
in  his  eyes,  said  Mr.  Millyard.  '  Your  kind  approbation  fills  my 
soul  with  joy."     Then  she  hugged  him. 

"  Buddie."  said  his  sister,  "  why  did  she  not  inform  you  of  the 
taint  in  her  blood  before  you  were  married?  In  that  event,  and 
you  condoned  her,  there  could  have  been  no  fault  to  find  by  any- 
one." It  was  clearlv  evident  to  Alpha  that  Miss  Cecelia  was  ill  at 
ease  in  mind  about  her  tainted-blooded  sister-in-law. 

"  Yes,  but  my  dear  sister,  the  past  is  gone ;  change  the  subject. 
Mother,  I  am  prepared  to  buy  or  build  you  the  finest  house  in  the 
city  and  furnish  it  accordingly.  Can  you  favor  me  by  making 
known  your  choice  of  plans  for  one?  " 

"•  Ah,  Allie!  I  am  not  prepared  to>  accede  to  your  generous 
offer."  replied  his  mother  gently.  "  I  am  now  too  far  advanced  in 
year?  to  make  such  a  radical  change  in  my  environment.  I  have 
my  coterie  of  friends  and  acquaintances ;  they  are  in  this  section 
of" the  city  mostly,  and  they,  with  some  few  exceptions,  are  of  the 
humbler  walks  in  life  and  live  in  cottage  homes.  They  would  nat- 
urally, under  force  of  circumstances,  constituted  as  people  are, 
deem  us  elevated  above  and  beyond  their  sphere,  if  not  stuck  up, 
as  some  of  our  vajued  acquaintances  forcefully  express  the  idea, 
and  alter  their  pleasant  attitude  toward  us.  I  prefer  our  present 
delightful  environment  among  sweet,  gentle-mannered  people  to  a 
mansion  in  the  fashionable  quarter,  where  we  would  have  to 
wedge  our  way  into  new,  stiff,  perhaps  a  boisterous,  never-con- 
tented sphere  in  life,  and.  perchance,  meet  with  rebuffs  from 
some  in  the  fashionable  circle  whom  we  could  not  look  upon  with 
pride  as  our  equals  socially.  If  'Celia  should  marry  I  would  pre- 
fer that  she  continue  to  reside  with  me.  In  that  event  I  would 
require  a  larger  cottage,  more  room " 


A  Life- Eating  Canker.  243 

"  Ah !  That's  it,"  interposed  Alpha.  "  I  perceive.  You  shall 
be  accommodated  in  anything  you  wish.  Would  that  I  were  sur- 
rounded by  such  gentle,  tender-mannered  people.  I  could  pursue 
a  refined  literary  course,  which  is  so  very  much  more  congenial  to 
my  liking  than  either  law  or  being  a  preacher  or  any  other  kind  of 
business  man.  I  see,  mother,  wherein  your  judgment  is  excellent. 
It  is  the  very  proper  thing  to  do — build  a  handsome,  roomy  cot- 
tage on  this  very  lot.  Then  you  will  continue  in  your  unostenta- 
tious, refined  environment.  You  can  then  have  your  church  so- 
ciety meet  with  you  every  week  and  you  can  give  them  more  pleas- 
ant entertainment.     What  think  you  of  that,  sister?" 

"  It  will  be  charming,"  she  replied.  "  Of  course,  mother  and 
I  will  remain  together  whether  I  marry  or  not.  We  are  insepar- 
able, as  for  that  matter,  because  we  are  so  dependent  upon  each 
other." 

"  I  will  proceed  to  town  at  once,  seek  an  architect  and  ar- 
range for  a  plan  and  specifications  of  a  house  in  accordance  with 
your  ideas,"  said  Alpha,  as  he  got  up  to  leave.  "  I  will  place  a 
hundred  thousand  dollars  in  father's  old  friend's  bank  to  your 
credit  subject  to  your  check,  and  will  buy  some  securities  or  prop- 
erty down-town  for  you  so  that  you  can  have  an  income  of  your 
own.  And,  Cecelia,  as  for  you,  I  will  bring  you  a  pass-book  also 
with  a  hundred  thousand  to  your  credit  in  the  bank  to  do  with  as 
you  desire." 

"  Buddie,  can  you  afford  to  give  us  so  much?  " 

"  Why,  my  sister,  I  could  readily  make  it  a  million,  but  I  do  not 
deem  it  necessary.  This  will  be  as  much  as  you  can  manage  for 
the  present.  Please  keep  Pegg  and  be  kind  to  her,  furnish  her 
with  good  clothes  and  some  fine  dresses  as  long  as  she  lives." 

Mr.  Millyard  secured  a  leading  architect,  who  accompanied  him 
to  his  mother's  home  and  viewed  the  lot. 

All  the  arrangements  necessary  for  building  a  large  brick  house 
immediately  in  the  place  of  the  frame  cottage  then  standing  on  the 
half-acre  lot  were  completed. 

The  architect  said  the  house  would  cost  about  thirty-five  thou- 
sand dollars.  He  would  not  estimate  precisely  until  all  the  plans 
and  specifications  were  drawn.  Alpha  knew  that  meant  nearer 
fifty  thousand.  The  architect  was  to  attend  to  letting  the  con- 
tracts and  superintend  the  construction. 

Mrs.  Millyard  and  Cecelia  secured  board  and  lodging  with  a 
.neighbor  across  the  street  pending  the  demolition  of  their  sweet 


244  The  Lady  of  New  Orleans. 

old  home  and  the  construction  of  the  new,  which  would  require 
three  months  at  least,  but  they  build  there  in  a  rush. 

Having  arranged  everything  in  good  business  shape  for  his 
mother  and  his  sister  the  time  for  Alpha  Millyard's  departure 
drew  nigh.  When  Miss  Cecelia  had  played  on  the  piano  and  sang 
a  few  songs  he  began  to  bid  them  good-bye.  Clasping  his  mother 
in  his  arms,  hugging  and  kissing  her,  he  said : 

"  Mother,  I  may  never  see  you  again;  something  warns  me  I 
will  not ;  this  then  is  probably  our  final  parting.  I  trust  you  will 
continue  to  kindly  remember  me  in  your  prayers,  as  you  ever  have 
done.  Think  of  me  as  the  boy  you  affectionately  fondled  on  your 
knees  and  on  your  breast,  with  kisses,  the  nature  of  which  I  then 
did  not  know.  I  snail  ever  think  of  you  in  connection  with  the 
event  when  your  wayward  boy  shattered  your  hopes  for  a  preacher 
son  by  truantly  turning  lawyer.     Good-bye,  mother ;  good-bye." 

"  Bless  you,  my  noble  son."  she  said.  "  My  prayers  are  ever 
with  you,  and  may  God  be  with  you.  Do  not  give  yourself  concern 
about  your  not  becoming  a  preacher ;  it  does  not  grieve  me.  I  am 
not  disappointed  in  you.  Good-bye  ;  but  you  must  surely  come  and 
see  me  again." 

Alpha  turned,  and  folding  Cecelia  in  his  arms,  he  said : 

"  And  you,  Cecelia,  write  me  about  yourself  and  mother ;  keep 
me  ever  informed  about  her.  I  wish  you  joy  and  happiness. 
When  you  have  become  reconciled  to  my  marriage  and  to  my  two 
beautiful  and  gently-amiable  children  I  want  you,  both  of  you,  to 
come  and  see  them.  I  did  think  of  having  my  family  stop  over 
here  some  time  and  see  you  when  we  are  passing.  But  I  suppose 
that  will  now  be  out  of  the  question.  If  my  wife  knew  of  what 
you  have  said  it  would  break  her  heart.  I  hope,  sister,  you  will 
secure  a  good  husband,  one  who  is  not  tainted  in  any  way.  Good- 
bye." 

"  O,  buddie !  You  are  thinking  worse  of  what  I  said  than  I 
intended " 

"  Ah,  sister,"  he  interrupted,  "  however  much  it  may  be  unde- 
sirable by  me,  it  nevertheless  rankles." 

"  Please  do  not  let  it  do  so,  buddie,  on  account  of  what  I  said," 
pleaded  the  sweet  Cecelia,  now  all  dejection.  "  I  shall  forever  be 
worried  about  it  if  you  do.  I  did  not  mean  it  in  the  way  in  which 
you  view  my  remarks.  I  do  wish  to  see  your  dear  wife  and  darl- 
ing children.  Please  bring  tnem  to  see  us  as  soon  as  our  new 
home  is  finished.    We  cannot  leave  here  ourselves  until  then.  You 


A  Life-Eating  Canker.  245 

have  ever  been  so  good  and  noble  to  mother  and  myself  I  hope 
you  will  not  now  break  my  heart.  I  canno1-  restrain  my  anguish 
if  you  do  not  at  once  give  me  some  attestation 

"  O,  buddie,  I  renounce  and  take  back  all  I  said."  She  threw 
her  arms  and  weight  o:.  his  shoulders  and  appeared  to  be  weep- 
ing. 

"  She  did  not  mean  it,  Allie,"  gently  and  endearingly  spoke  his 
saintly  mother. 

"  1  forgive  you,  sister;  I  forgive  you.  There,"  (he  kissed  her) 
"  be  a  good  girl.  Love  mother,  and  love — me — some.  I  will 
bring  my  family  to  see  you  when  your  house  is  finished.  Good- 
bye." 

"  Good-bye,  Aunt  Pegg.  Remain  with  mother  and  sister  as 
long  as  you  live.  They  will  give  you  all  you  want.  So  will  I." 
He  was  gone. 


246  The  Lady  of  New  Orleans. 


CHAPTER  XLI. 

HOW   THE   GEM    WAS   FORMED. 

Alpha  Millyard  returned  from  Europe  to  New  Orleans  some 
few  days  over  seven  weeks  from  the  time  of  his  departure  and  at 
the  end  of  two  months  was  back  at  the  mines  accompanied  by  Air. 
Dalgal.  He  found  that  the  output  of  the  mines  had  considerably 
increased,  additional  men  being  employed,  more  new  improved 
machinery  introduced.  This  was  just  at  the  time  when  great 
strides  in  improvements  in  such  machinery  were  being  made. 
Professor  Wortman  explained  diat  eh  kept  fully  posted  on  such 
matters. 

"  I  informed  you  in  my  letters  and  cablegrams  which,  I  hope, 
you  understood,  what  I  did  and  what  success  I  had,"  said  Mill- 
yard  when  they  were  seated  in  the  office.  "  I  had  wonderful  suc- 
cess. I  stimulated  sales  at  least  thirty  per  cent.,  besides  increasing 
the  price  ten  per  cent.  Just  as  I  wrote  you,  our  agents  say  they 
have  been  unable  to  supply  the  demand.  They  have  orders  for 
the  Hiddenite  diamond  far  ahead.  Many  large  dealers  were  im- 
patient of  their  orders  and  asked  that  they  be  hurried.  Especially 
was  this  the  case  in  Paris,  Vienna  and  Berlin.  Berlin  is  a  splendid 
market  for  them.  I  contracted  with  each  of  our  agents,  giving  them 
the  exclusive  agency  for  all  our  gems,  and  i  made  it  a  point  that 
they  must  take  the  others  as  well  as  the  Hiddenite  in  their  respec- 
tive countries,  ana  they  are  to  pav  cash  for  them  on  delivery.  We 
can  dispose  of  every  gem  as  fast  as  we  can  send  them." 

"  That  is  the  kind  of  business  I  like,"  said  Professor  Wortman. 
"I  have  been  dreaming  of  just  sucl    a  business  all  my  life." 

"  O,  no !  "  exclaimed  Millvard.  "  Some  one  else  has  been 
dreaming  about  this  business  besides  our  friend  Dalgal !  " 

"  I  was  going  to  ask  you  something  about  the  conversat'on  we 
had  last  night,"  reminiscently  began  Dalgal  dreamily  addressing 
himself  to  Millyard,  "  but  I  happened  to  remember  that  you  were 
not  here  last  night." 


How  the  Gem  was  Formed.  247 

"  That  is  splendid,"  eagerly  exclaimed  Millyard.  "  Let  her 
out,  Galie.  What  was  it?  Tell  me  all  about  it,  for  I  must  know." 

"  Well,"  he  began,  "  it  was  something  you  told  me  about  your 
selling  out.  You  did  not  tell  me  the  amount,  but  you  said  you 
were  about  to  sell  for  an  enormous  sum  to  a»syndicate.  Don't  you 
remember  telling  me  that?  " 

"  Tell  us  what  all  I  said  about  it,"  said  Millyard,  pleadingly. 

"  You  went  on  to  say  that  you  had  a  talk  with  some  bankers 
and  one  of  the  largest  dealers  in  gems  and  jewelry  in  Europe ; 
that  you  gave  one  of  the  Rothschilds  a  Hiddenite  diamond  brooch 
worth  a  hundred  thousand  dollars  and  that  he  was  delighted  with 
it.  You  said  the  syndicate  agreed  to  send  an  expert  and  two  or 
three  of  their  confidential  men  over  here  to  examine  the  property." 

'''  My  gracious,  Dalgal,"  exclaimed  Millyard  in  excitement,  as 
he  moved  nearer  in  his  chair,  gesticulating;  "  now  I  know  you  are 
a  wizard  dreamomaniac.  I  never  told  you  any  such  thing ;  but 
the  fact  is,  I  did  have  a  talk  with  some  capitalists  on  the  subject. 
And  I  presented  to  my  banker,  not  a  Rothschild,  but  one  of  the 
leading  financiers  of  Paris,  one  of  those  hundred  thousand  dollar 
brooches  for  his  wife,  and  Baron  de  Rothschild  was  present,  to- 
gether with  four  other  gentlemen,  when  we  were  talking  about 
my  selling.  But  nothing  was  said  about  sending  over  an  expert 
or  anyone." 

"  The  coincidence  of  what  Mr.  Dalgal  says  and  what  you  state, 
Mr.  Millyard,"  interposed  Prof.  Wortman,  "  justifies  the  conclu- 
sion that  there  is  some  collusion.  I  mean  no  discourtesy,  mind 
you ;  but  I  mean  to  convey  the  idea  that  there  is  a  strong,  and  a 
very  strong,  sympathetic  mental  chord  between  you  two  gentle- 
men whereby  the  one  can  wish  a  thing  to  come  to  pass  and  the 
other  dreams  that  it  has  transpired ;  or  rather,  has  a  private  con- 
versation with  someone  that  it  has  or  will  transpire,  when  lo,  and 
behold !  the  light  of  dawn  proves  it  to  be  true.  I  wish  to  sav  that, 
while  I  know  the  people  have  a  flippant  way  of  calling  him  a 
dreamomaniac  there  are  many  persons  who  are  trying  to  imitate 
him,  and  wishing  and  praying  they  may  be  able  to  do  as  he  has 
done.  I  am  only  sorry  that  Mr.  Dalgal  is  displeased  when  he 
is  called  a  dreamomaniac." 

"  Oh,  well,"  said  Millyard  with  a  wave  of  the  hand ;  "  Mr. 
Dalgal  can  very  well  afford  to  disregard  them ;  to  pity  them  and 
help  them.     He  is  able  so  to  do." 

"I   am   sorry,   Mr.   Millyard,"   said   Professor,    "but   I   have 


248  The  Lady  of  New  Orleans. 

planned  for  you  to  make  a  trip  to  Washington,  Philadelphia  and 
New  York." 

"  I  presume  I  shall  have  to  be  obedient,"  responded  Millyard. 
"  When  am  I  to  depart?" 

"  About  day  after  to-morrow,"  he  said.  "  I  think  I  can  have 
everything  ready  by  then.  Meantime  I  am  looking  for  some  tele- 
grams ;  our  messenger  is  over  in  Hickory  waiting  for  them." 

"  I  must  return  to  Paris  in  three  weeks,"  said  Millyard  re- 
flectively. 

"  Ah,  ha !  Going  back  to  close  the  deal,"  interposed  Dalgal, 
who  had  been  sitting  half  asleep. 

'  This  trip  will  not  require  more  than  a  week,"  said  Professor 
Wortman. 

'  Yes,  Galie ;  make  a  deal,  if  I  can,"  added  Millyard,  flippantly. 

Thereupon  the  Professor  got  up  and  going  to  the  safe  brought 
forth  a  large  bundle  of  papers  and  placed  them  on  the  table  be- 
fore Millyard. 

"  Here  we  have,"  he  began,  "  a  statement  of  the  business  show- 
ing that  we  have  in  the  aggregate,  outside  of  that  which  is  not 
yet  finished,  over  one  hundred  and  twenty-five  million  dollars. 
Here  is  sixty-one  million  dollars  for  you.  I  have  already  entered 
it  on  the  books.  I  have  indorsed  the  checks  on  New  York 
and  Boston  and  the  foreign  exchange  to  you ;  and  here  is  a  divi- 
dend receipt  ready  for  your  signature.  Do  you  want  any  better 
business?  I  don't  see  what  you  want  to  sell  out  for.  If  you  sell 
I  shall  sell  also,  and  I  wish  you  to  include  my  interest."  He  was 
cold  and  deliberate  in  his  tone  and  action. 

Mr.  Millyard  was  absorbed  in  deep  thought  during  a  few  mo- 
ments with  his  left  index  finger  and  thumb  clasping  his  under  lip. 
Suddenly  looking  up  at  Professor  he  said : 

'  Please  give  me  a  copy  of  that  statement.  Look  here,  Pro- 
fessor! "  he  exclaimed  in  amazement;  "  you  don't  mean  to  tell  me 
you  have  actually  got  that  much  on  hand  for  me  ?  " 

"  Sign  the  receipts,  take  your  bills  of  exchange  and  checks  and 
see  if  you  get  the  money  on  them.     If  you  don't,  come  back." 

Millyard  looked  slowly  and  contemplatively  at  the  papers  rep- 
resenting money.  Then  he  put  down  the  amounts  of  each  on 
sheets  of  paper  and  added  them.  The  aggregate  was  sixty-one 
million  and  twenty-nine  dollars.  He  so  remarked,  as  he  looked 
at  the  receipts  already  made  out. 


How  the  Gem  was  Formed.  249 

"  Here  you  have  it  twenty-nine  tents  instead  of  twenty-nine 
dollars." 

"  No,  that  means  cents,"  replied  Professor.  "  You  look  at  the 
Amsterdam  exchange  and  you  will  see  it  the  same  way." 

"  Ah,  I  see,"  said  Millyard.  Reflecting  a  few  moments  he  sud- 
denly remarked :  "  You  must  be  making  more  than  two  million 
dollars  a  day?  " 

"  Yes,  we  are;  a  little  over,  on  the  average,"  replied  Professor. 
"  Some  days  we  do  not  take  out  so  much,  other  days  once  in  a 
while, — the  output  is  very  much  more  than  two  million,  even 
quite  three  million  dollars  in  a  day.  And,  just  think  of  it,  we  are 
not  one-third  into  that  mountain  yet.  Nor  even  into  that  hill 
over  there.  It  is  that  tremendous  stream  of  water  that  eats  down 
the  mountain  which  brings  out  the  gems.  That  stream  of  water 
just  beats  anything  that  was  ever  dreamed  of.  A  thousand  men 
could  not  dig  the  earth  like  that  stream  of  water,  which  washed 
it  out  in  a  few  hours.  It  is  away  ahead  of  its  work  all  the  time. 
We  cannot  crowd  men  enough  around  to  take  up  the  gem-bearing 
rocks  and  the  dirt." 

'  Professor,  how  were  these  green  diamonds  formed  inside  the 
rocks  ?  "  inquired  Millyard. 

'  Now,  you  want  to  get  into  deep  water,"  said  the  old  earth- 
wise  Professor.  :i  But  you  will  pardon  me  for  saying  without 
intending  to  be  offensive :  the  hog  will  eat  all  day  under  a  tree  as 
the  apples  fall  and  never  look  up  to  see  where  they  come  from. 
I  am  glad  you  have  asked  this  question.  It  enables  me  to  il- 
lustrate to  you  that  this  great  find  of  earth's  hidden  treasure  is  not 
general  nor  of  a  permanent  nature.  These  beryls  amid  the  gneiss 
are  all  of  a  very  peculiar  formation  and  extraordinary  in  all  their 
phenomena.  But  this  peculiar  spodumene  of  the  pyroxene  fam- 
ily was  formed,  not  originally  created,  during  a  period  subsequent 
to  the  creation  of  the  earth.  Its  component  parts  were  in  solu- 
tion in  highly  acidic  and  heated  waters  and  under  certain  other 
peculiar  and  unusual  chemical  conditions.  Of  the  nature  of  that 
I  could  not  now  enter  into  detail.  But  that  much  I  do  know ; 
at  least  I  know  it  as  much  so  as  science  and  personal  investiga- 
tion can  develop. 

"  However,  there  is  another  theory  advanced  as  to  the  forma- 
tion of  this  silicated  diamond.  It  is  this :  the  little  green  beryl 
formed  and  grew  in  the  centrifugal  whirl  of  water  probably 
highly  acidic  and  heated  as  it  rushed  in  a  torrent  over  a  cataract 


250  The  Lady  of  New  Orleans. 

into  some  mineralized,  as  before  intimated,  probably  monazite 
bottomed,  pool  or  pond  in  the  stream.  Atoms  and  particles  ad- 
hering in  the  centrifugal,  foamy  eddy,  after  a  certain  stage  sank, 
from  their  own  weight,  and  there  at  the  bottom  of  the  stream 
gradually  grew  while  being  tossed  and  tumbled  until  stones  the 
size  as  you  see  them  were  formed  around  the  berylized  green  gem 
in  or  about  the  center  of  the  stone.  At  the  time  of  the  subsidence 
of  our,  or  Noah's  flood,  the  course  of  the  stream  was  changed,  and 
the  stones  were  left  in  the  former  canyon  or  cataract  of  the 
stream  here  in  the  hill  beside  this  little  creek.  The  one  river 
that  ran  in  its  course  along  here  is  now  two  rivers,  the  Yadkin 
over  here  and  the  Catawba  over  there.     Curious,  ain't  it?  " 

"  Yes,  and  deucedly  interesting,"  replied  Millyard,  enthusias- 
tcally.     "  There  may  not  be  another  place  like  it  in  the  world." 

'  If  there  is,  it  has  never  been  discovered,"  the  Professor  re- 
torted. "  This  place  here,  and  the  one  over  yonder,  about  five  or 
six  miles,  in  this  county,  where  the  famous  William  Earl  Hidden, 
of  New  Jersey,  who  was  sent  out  here  by  Thomas  Edison,  found 
them,  are  the  only  places  where  they  have  been  so  far  found  in  all 
the  world.  Professor  Hidden,  as  I  understand,  thinks  as  I  do 
about  their  formation.  He  claimed  and  proved  that  they  are  an 
original  silicate  formation.  South  Africa,  as  a  mineral  deposit, 
is  a  pigmy  beside  this  place  in  value." 

'It  is  impossible  to  imitate  them  then?"  asked  Millyard. 

"  That  is  exactly  the  case,"  responded  Professor ;  "  and  that  is 
the  chief  reason  why  they  are  so  very  valuable.  To  some  extent 
white  diamonds  can  be  imitated  ;  but  this  wonderful  spodumene 
from  the  gneiss  can  never  in  the  least  be  imitated.  Anyone  will 
fail  absolutely  in  giving  it  the  peculiar  coloring  as  well  as  the 
sparkling  brilliancy  and  the  characteristic  pleochroism." 

Mr.  Millyard  made  the  trip  to  the  East;  returned  to  the  mines, 
and  then  to  New  Orleans. 


Jerushi  Turns  Up.  251 


CHAPTER  XLII. 

JERUSHI  TURNS  UP. 

No  person  took  more  delight  in  Mr.  Millyard's  extraordinary 
and  unexcelled  success  than  Mr.  Mike  Delarue. 

"  Alpha,"  he  said,  "  I  am  so  elated  and  proud  of  your  success 
that  I  do  not  know  how  to  express  myself." 

"  I  appreciate  it,  Mike,"  replied  Millyard,  in  the  president's 
office  in  the  bank.  "  Professor  Alfred  Wortman,  Mr.  Galen  Dal- 
gal  and  yourself  are  the  only  persons  beside  my  wife  who  know 
of  it.  I  request  that  you  please  say  nothing  about  it  to  anyone. 
It  has  come  to  me  so  suddenly  and  quietly  that  it  is  even  unsus- 
pected by  any  other  person.  Above  all  things  else  I  want  it 
kept  out  of  the  newspapers.  If  it  is  ever  published  I  will  be  made 
a  target.  I  shall  make  my  investments  quietly  without  exciting 
suspicion  as  to  my  wealth.  My  wife  will  attend  to  the  charity 
here  in  New  Orleans,  as  she  has  ever  been  doing,  and  in  which 
she  takes  such  delight. 

'  Mike,"  he  continued,  "  I  have  twenty-one  million  and  more  in 
exchange.  I  left  nest  eggs  of  a  little  over  thirty-five  million  dol- 
lars scattered  among  the  banks  in  New  York  city  and  in  the  U.  S. 
Treasury.  I  want  you  to  collect  the  items  with  the  premium 
on  each  and  take  care  of  the  cash  here  in  the  bank  for  me.  You 
can  use  two  million  of  it  in  the  bank,  which  I  will  not  check 
against,  at  least  without  sufficient  notice.  The  balance  of  it  is  for 
my  private  account  and  not  to  be  used  by  the  bank ;  I  may  check 
out  large  sums  at  any  time  after  the  next  three  weeks.  I  must  go 
to  Europe  again  in  a  few  days.  But  I  have  money  at  my  bank  in 
Paris,  and  at  Havre  with  the  steamship  company." 

Mr.  Delarue  called  the  cashier  and  explained  to  him  Millyard's 
wishes.  Then  the  checks  and  bills  of  exchange  were  gone  over 
by  them.  After  which  the  receiving  teller  of  the  bank  was  called 
and  he  went  over  the  items.     The  sum  of  $21,743,852.71  was  en- 


252  The  Lady  of  New  Orleans. 

tered  on  the  books  of  the  bank  to  the  credit  of  Alpha  Millyard, 
and  also  put  down  in  his  pass  book. 

President  Delarue  heaved  a  sigh,  rubbed  his  hands  and  slapped 
his  knees,  saying: 

Wh-e-e-p !  I  never  expected  to  see  a  deposit  like  that  in  this 
bank,  nor  hear  of  its  being  the  case  in  this  city.  But  I  am  glad, 
gentlemen,  it  is  by  our  boss  and  in  our  bank.  I  have  now  to  re- 
quest of  you  both,  and  Mr.  Varnelle,  (he  was  the  cashier)  you 
must  so  notify  the  individual  book-keeper,  not  one  word  must  be 
said  to  any  person  by  any  of  you  about  this  deposit.  Mr.  Mill- 
yard  here  can  inform  you  that  your  situations  in  this  bank  will 
depend  upon  it." 

"  I  should  be  very  happy  to  be  able  to  inform  some  of  our  cus- 
tomers," quickly  said  Mr.  Emile  Varnelle,  "  especially  some  of 
my  competitor  cashiers  ;  but  my  fealty  to  my  chief  officer  and  es- 
pecially to  the  rules  of  banking  prevents  me  from  saying  one 
word  about  it.  I  shall  take  pains  in  this  special  case  to  discover 
if  there  is  any  infraction  of  the  banking  rules  in  this  respect." 

The  Professor  telegraphed  for  Millyard.  He  wanted  him  to 
go  to  Philadelphia  and  New  York  at  once  on  important  matters. 
Hence  Millyard  decided  to  sail  from  New  York  for  Europe  in- 
stead of  New  Orleans.  Consequently  at  the  end  of  a  week  he 
was  back  at  the  mines  in  Alexander. 

Meantime,  a  son  of  the  man  from  whom  Judge  Selia  had  pur- 
chased the  land  had  brought  suit  to  recover  the  land  on  the 
grounds  that  he  had  a  reversionary  as  well  as  hereditary  interest. 

Any  person  can  bring  an  action  at  law  for  anything,  in  the 
United  States.  The  more  absurd  the  claims  the  less  attention 
the  defendant  gives  to  them.  Consequently  it  often  happens  that 
by  a  technicality  in  the  law  and  the  underhanded  subterfuges  re- 
sorted to  by  shyster  lawyers,  whose  impecuniosity  leads  them  to 
brazen  acts  of  audacity  and  shady  pleadings  as  well  as  the  manner 
of  filing  them,  Decrees  and  Orders  are  given  and  made  by 
dyspeptic,  half  sick  or  hemorrhoidical  judges  just  to  curry  favor, 
or  to  get  the  matter  out  of  their  further  consideration  the  easiest 
way  possible. 

But,  being  a  lawyer,  Millyard  said  this  matter  must  be  attended 
to  at  once  and  before  he  left  the  place. 

The  plaintiff  and  his  lawyer  were  dispatched  for  immediately. 
They  were  at  the  mines  two  days  afterwards,  accompanied  by 
the  father  of  the  plaintiff.     Millyard  had  read  a  copy  of  the  com- 


Jerushi  Turns  Up.  253 

plaint.  He  listened  in  patience  to  what  the  young  man  and  his 
lawyer  both  had  to  say.  He  asked  the  father  of  the  boy,  the 
original  vendor,  what  he  had  to  say.     Bart  Hallowell  replied : 

"  I  haven't  got  anything  to  say ;  'ceptin'  this :  I  sold  the  land 
and  give  my  warrantee  deed  too  it,  which  my  ole  woman  signed. 
That's  as  much  as  I  could  do,  an'  all  I  k'n  do." 

"  Who  else  is  there  in  the  family  that  has,  or  can  have,  any 
claim  on  this  property?"  asked  Millyard  in  quick  speech. 

"  None  but  my  sister,  who's  married,"  answered  the  plaintiff. 

"  Look  here,  young  man,  and  you  as  his  lawyer,"  said  Mill- 
yard  ;  "  I  have  only  one  proposition  to  make  and  that  is  this :  I 
do  not  recognize  your  claim,  there  is  nothing  in  it ;  but,  I  will  make 
you  a  present  of  five  hundred  dollars,  provided,  you  will  have 
your  married  sister  and  her  husband  sign  with  you  a  quit  claim 
deed  to  me,  and  that  you  also  have  all  other  possible  claimants 
sign  with  you,  and  you  all  give  me  your  affidavits  that  there  are  no 
other  claimants.  That  is  all  that  i  will  do.  You  can  walk  out 
there  and  consult  about  the  matter  and  let  me  know  at  once  what 
you  will  do.  My  time  is  precious.  I  must  leave  here  this  after- 
noon. If  vou  do  not  accept  my  offer  I  want  to  instruct  my  lawyer 
what  to  do." 

In  about  fifteen  minutes  they  all  filed  back  into  the  large  hall 
of  the  castle  where  Millyard,  Prof.  Wortman  and  Dalgal  were 
seated,  and  the  lawyer  speaking  for  them,  said : 

"  They  have  agreed  to  accept  your  proposal.  I  will  see  that  they 
comply  with  it  and  that  the  proper  entries  are  made  at  the  next 
term  of  our  superior  court." 

'  Very  good,"  replied  Millyard.  '  Mr.  Dalgal,  you  can  see  that 
the  papers  are  properly  drawn  and  executed.  When  this  is  done 
Professor  Wortman  will  pay  the  money.  It  is  a  gift  from 
me. 

When  they  had  departed  Millyard  walked  out  to  the  mines.  In 
going  the  rounds  who  should  he  chance  to  meet  face  to  face  in  the 
person  of  one  of  the  employes  but  the  red-headed  Jew-Irishman, 
Mr.  Miles  Jerushi.  The  surprise  was  startling  on  the  part  of  both 
persons. 

"  Jerushi !  "  exclaimed  Millyard.  People  do  have  such  a 
strange  and  altogether  unaccountable  way  of  accidentally  meeting 
in  strange  places  in  America.  A  man  here  to-day  who  was  far 
away  yesterday. 

"  Mr.  Millyard,  my  top-notch,  cock  o'  the  walk  lawyer,  by  all 


254  The  Lady  of  New  Orleans. 

the  Saints,  the  blessed  Virgin  and  the  holy  Moses  !  "  Miles  was  the 
same  old  Jerushi. 

The  two  men  shook  hands  eagerly  and  made  their  explanations 
as  briefly  and  hurriedly  as  they  could. 

"  So  you're  the  head  owner  of  this  millionaire  business?"  If  I 
iver !     I'm  blest,  if  I  ain't  glad  of  it." 

'  Yes,  I  have  had  a  large  interest  here  three  or  four  years,  but 
now  I  own  all,  except  a  certain  portion  of  the  proceeds."' 

I  have  been  here  nine  or  ten  months  now  and  I've  made  a  right 
good  thing  uv  it.  I  made  good  wagis  and  I  laid  away  me  monev. 
You  see,  I  can't  git  a  drap  o'  the  creeter  in  here.  So  I  stay  in  and 
plant  me  money  in  me  chist." 

'  The  Jew  in  you  is  coming  out  on  top,"  said  Millyard,  smiling. 

"  Yes,  egad !  and  I  believe  the  Jew's  the  best  part,'  if  me  mither 
is  the  best  man  er  the  two,"  retorted  Miles,  wiping  some  of  the  soil 
off  his  red  freckled  face  with  a  soiled  'kerchief.  "  Now  since  I 
know  ye're  the  boss  man  here,  I  want  to  tell  ye  something  kinder 
confidentially  There's  a  blabberin'  furiner  here  who's  tryin'  to  git 
up  a  strike  'mongst  the  men.  Don't  give  me  way,  but  you  go  and 
inquire  'mongst  the  bosses." 

"  Miles,  I  always  knew  there  was  something  good  in  you.  I 
am  greatly  obliged  to  you  for  this  information.  I  will  inquire  into 
it  at  once,"  replied  Millyard  as  he  began  moving  awav,  adding: 
"  When  are  you  coming  to  New  Orleans  ?  When  you  clo,  be  sure 
and  come  see  me." 

"  I'll  be  after  doin'  that  very  thing,  sir,"  answered  Miles.  "  I 
may  come  in  a  few  months,  and  I'll  come  to  see  ye  ter  once  fer 
sure." 

Millyard  returned  to  the  log  castle.  He  called  Professor  and 
said : 

"  I  heard  intimations  just  now  that  sound  to  me  like  there  is  to 
be  a  strike  here.     Do  you  know  anything  about  it  ?  " 

*'  Not  in  the  least.  I  am  at  the  first  of  it,"  he  replied,  as  if  as- 
tonished.    "  I  will  summon  the  superintendent  at  once." 

A  boy  was  called  and  dispatched  on  the  errand.  In  about  five 
minutes  the  superintendent  presented  himself  before  Professor 
Wortman  and  Mr.  Millyard. 

:'  Have  you  heard  anything  about  a  strike  among  the  men  ?  " 
asked  Professor  Wortman. 

"  Well,  yes,"  was  the  hesitating  reply,  "  but  there  has  not  yet 
been  enough  indication  for  me  to  seriously  consider  the  matter.    I 


Jerushi  Turns  Up.  255 

am  astonished  that  you  should  have  heard  of  it.  I  thought  I  was 
keeping  very  close  watch  for  such  a  demonstration  and  could  tell 
you  first." 

"  I  must  confess  I  did  not  know  anything  about  it  until  Mr. 
Millyard  informed  me  a  few  minutes  ago,"  said  the  Professor. 
"  What  do  you  know  about  it?  " 

"  There  is  one  certain  man  here,"  the  superintendent  replied; 
"  he  is  not  a  nat  or  yap,  (meaning  he  was  neither  a  '  nat,'  a  native 
or  naturalized  citizen  of  this  country,  nor  'yap,'  a  local  native), 
who  has  been  trying  to  foment  trouble  for  some  time  past.  His 
name  is  Barfuldst.  I  think  he  is  trying  to  get  the  washers  to 
strike  for  higher  wages.  If  he  succeeds  then  he  will  try  to  get  a 
general  strike.  The  washers  are  making  three  and  a  half  a  day 
and  he  is  getting  four  a  day.  I  have  been  considering  how  we  can 
get  rid  of  him ;  he  is  a  perfect  nuisance.  If  we  do  not  get  rid  of 
him  at  once  he  will  cause  us  serious  trouble." 

"  I  am  very  glad  this  matter  has  come  to  light  while  I  am  here," 
said  Millyard.  "  Professor,  send  for  the  man  and  his  boss  and  let 
them  both  come  here  at  once.  You  remain,  Mr.  Superintendent, 
until  they  come.    I  want  you  to  hear  what  they  have  to  say." 

The  seditious  miner  and  his  boss  were  conducted  before  Mr. 
Millyard,  who  asked : 

"  Well,  my  dear  sir,  in  what  capacity  are  you  working  here?  ': 

"  I'ze  vashin'  ender  tailin's,"  he  answered. 

"  Are  you  dissatisfied  with  your  job?  "  asked  Millyard. 

"  No,  sir ;  not  in  der  light  vot  you  seem  ter  tink  I  vas.  I  haf 
my  idees,  of  course,"  he  said. 

"  You  do  not  know  in  what  light  I  think ;  I  have  never  inti- 
mated it.  Do  your  '  idees  '  conflict  with  the  manner  or  methods  in 
which  this  business  is  being  conducted  ?  "  asked  Millyard,  sternly. 

"  Der  vas  some  disbarities,  ant  ven  ve  all  dalked  erbout  it  an' 
der  mens  told  me  I  vas  der  man  vot  should  tell'd  'em  vot  ter  do,  I 
told  'em  I  vould  do  it.  'Cause  you  see,  I  vas  had  more  exberience 
in  does  tings  dan  vot  dev  haf." 

"  Is  it  your  idea  that  the  men  should  band  themselves  in  an  or- 
ganization, then  strike?"  queried  Millyard.  "Then  all  hands 
remain  here  and  allow  no  one  else  to  come  and  work  in  their 
places?  Assume  a  high-handed  law  unto  themselves  against  the 
rights  of  other  men?  " 

"  Vel,  dot  vos  von  vay,  ef  der  Perfesser  don't  do  vot  dey  vants." 

"  Is  there  another  wav,  one  with  right  on  its  side  ?  " 


256  The  Lady  of  New  Orleans. 

"  Not  yit ;  unless  ve  could  all  git  tergedder." 
"  How  would  you  git  togedder  ?  " 
Ve  could  organize  an'  'lect  our  officers,  den  ve  could  do  some- 


tmgs." 


"  What  would  you  do?  "  asked  Millyard. 

"  Dat  vas  as  I  say,  ef  he  don't  do  sometings." 
'  Increase  your  wages?    Or  give  you  another  job?  " 

"  Yes.    Dey  vould  liice  ter  haf  bote." 

"  I  think  I  understand  you,  to  some  extent  at  least.  Probably 
you  want  your  picture  in  the  papers?  I  suppose  you  are  to  be 
the  head  officer.  I  want  to  leave  here  this  afternoon  for  Philadel- 
phia ;  I  need  a  man  to  go  with  me ,  I  will  pay  the  expenses.  Can 
you  go  with  me  ?  " 

"  Yes ;  I  haf  a  cousin  in  Philadelphee,  unt  I  vould  be  glad  mit 
der  chance  ter  go  mit  cher." 

"  All  right,"  said  Millyard;  "  go  get  ready,  quick.  I  want  you 
to  take  a  telegram  over  to  Hickory  immediately.  Professor,  send 
him  over  at  once." 

When  the  boss  and  the  would-be  boss  of  a  strike  were  gone  the 
superintendent  ventured  to  remark : 

"  Well,  if  that  ain't  the  easiest  and  most  satisfactorily  settled 
strike  I  ever  saw  !  " 

1  Yes ;  he  jumped  right  into  it,"  added  Professor  Wormian. 
"  With  him  out  of  the  way  will  we  have  any  more  trouble?  " 

'  Not  in  the  least,"  responded  the  superintendent.  "  He  is  the 
head  and  front  of  the  whole  trouble." 

"  I  can  leave  him  in  Philadelphia,"  said  Millyard.  "  You  go 
and  keep  right  along  with  him  and  hurry  him  in  packing  his 
things,  so  he  cannot  talk  with  any  of  the  men.  Make  out  his  ac- 
count and  pay  him." 

Mr.  Millyard  did  not  deem  it  necessary  to  explain  how  he 
learned  about  the  brewing  strike,  only  he  requested  Professor 
Wortman  to  have  Miles  Jerushi  favored  as  much  as  could  be  done 
consistently,  as  his  special  friend. 

"  There  is  no  such  man  by  that  name  here,"  said  Professor 
Wortman.  Then  he  looked  at  the  books  and  could  not  find  the 
name  there. 

When  the  boss  striker  struck  out  for  Hickory  Professor  Wort- 
man told  him  he  would  send  his  luggage  over  on  the  hack. 

After  dinner  Mr.  Millyard  departed,  accompanied  to  Hickory  by 
Mr.  Dalgal,  his  lawyer  and  his  friend,  who  provided  the  convey- 
ance.   He  was  bound  for  Paris  via  New  York  and  Havre. 


That  Awful,  Terrible  Crime.  257 


CHAPTER  XLIII. 

THAT  AWFUL,  TERRIBLE  CRIME. 

Loveliness  in  all  its  real  and  beatific  fancied  form  enshrined 
and  entwined  the  souls  and  hearts,  thoughts  and  acts  each  to  the 
other,  also  to  their  friends  and  acquaintances  and  all  others  under 
whose  notice  they  passed,  even  as  a  gossamer  cloud  in  warm 
weather,  of  the  endeared  twain,  mother  and  daughter,  Mrs.  Mill- 
yard  and  Miss  Cecelia  Millyard,  the  mother  and  sister  of  Mr. 
Alpha  Millyard. 

No  two  souls  ever  dwelt  together  in  unison,  more  closely  in 
beauty  of  picture  and  loveliness  of  affectionate  devotion  and  ten- 
der attachment  than  those  two  saintly  women.  The  pleasure  of 
the  one  was  to  do  something  for  the  pleasure  of  the  other.  They 
shed  their  beams  abroad  and  infected  the  very  air  around  them, 
like  an  American  gentleman  or  an  American  lady,  they,  not  their 
counterpart,  in  Europe,  exhaling  the  perfumes  of  heaven  and  the 
civilizing  essence  of  man  in  the  atmosphere  of  their  circle.  Only 
such  people  in  America  as  Miss  Cecelia  and  her  mother  never 
visit  Europe.    They  must  be  seen  at  home. 

The  building  of  their  new  home  progressed  more  expeditiously 
than  they  contemplated.  Under  the  magic  wand  of  Alpha  Mill- 
yard's  private  instructions  to  the  wide-awake  up-to-date  architect, 
contractors  were  secured  who  performed  their  work  in  less  than 
the  allotted  space  of  time. 

Mrs.  Millyard  and  Miss  Cecelia  had  given  up  the  idea  of  keep- 
ing informed  about  the  plans  of  the  work.  There  were  many  inno- 
vations, many  of  them  of  a  costly  nature,  vastly  so,  and  when 
they  expostulated  with  the  contractors  and  architect  they  replied 
to  them  that  Mr.  Millyard  was  responsible  for  it.  Finding  that 
Alpha  was  having  his  own  sweet  will  about  the  building  of  the 
house  they  ceased  to  give  it  their  concern. 

"  Mother,"  said  Miss  Cecelia  one  day,  "  it  seems  that  buddie 
J7 


258  The  Lady  of  New  Orleans. 

is  trying  to  please  us  by  pleasing  himself ;  so  we  need  not  inter- 
fere or  bother  ourselves  with  it  any  further.  He  is  such  a  noble 
brother  and  good  son  that  he  wishes  us  to  have  a  sumptuous  home 
for  you  in  your  old  age." 

"  Yes,"  replied  Mrs.  Millyard,  "  Allie  is  a  noble  man  and  a 
dutiful  son.  He  reminds  me  more  and  more  of  his  dear,  noble 
father.  I  shall  acquiesce  in  whatever  he  does.  To  do  otherwise 
would  cause  him  to  suspect  that  he  had  displeased  me,  both  of 
us.  I  would  not  have  him  think  that  I  am  displeased  with  him. 
He  would  grieve  about  it  and  that  would  react  on  me.  I  am  very 
certain  he  will  not  displease  me  purposely  and  I  could  not  be  dis- 
pleased with  him,  especially  because  of  his  doing  an  unnecessary 
thing,  such  as  building  me  a  more  gorgeous  house  than  I  prefer, 
and  more  especially  since  he  possesses  such  enormous  wealth, 
sufficient  to  justify  him  in  doing  so." 

"  Mother,  does  buddie  perceive  things  in  their  higher  and  truly 
exalted  sphere?"  inquired  Miss  Cecelia  of  her  mother  as  they 
were  about  separating  on  the  front  porch. 

"  That  is  a  matter,  daughter,  you  should  know  for  yourself.  I 
believe,  in  fact,  I  know,  he  does.  It  is  in  that  realm  he  lives  and 
has  his  thoughts.  He  ever  did  from  childhood.  That  is  why  I 
thought  he  should  become  a  theologian  and  preach  the  gospel. 
You  said  you  loved  him ;  can  you  love  one,  even  a  brother,  whom 
you  do  not  believe  to  live  and  has  his  thoughts  in  a  high  and  truly 
exalted  sphere  ?  " 

"  No,  mother;  I  cannot  say  that  I  could." 

"  No ;  you  would  have  doubts,  misgivings,  fears  and  apprehen- 
sions for  the  worst." 

Between  one  and  two  fortnights  after  this  Mrs.  Millyard  and 
Miss  Cecelia  visited  a  cousin  of  Mrs.  Millyard,  Mr.  Glaucus  Bad- 
ger and  his  family,  who  resided  in  the  country  in  another  but 
near-by  county.     The  two  families  had  often  exchanged  visits. 

Mrs.  Millyard  and  Miss  Cecelia  had  many  friends  among  the 
neighbors  of  their  cousin,  Glaucus  Badger,  and  frequently  visited 
among  them.  Mrs.  Millyard's  mother,  who  was  quite  a  belle  and 
celebrated  for  her  beauty,  charming  manners  and  brilliancy  of 
mind  before  the  greatest  of  all  unfriendly  conflicts,  had  a 
brougham,  or  carriage,  and  horses  with  a  coachman  ever  at  her 
command.  But  at  this  period  and  on  this  occasion  circumstances 
with  Mrs.  Millyard  were  different.  With  Mr.  Badger  each  horse 
or  mule  had  to  contribute  its  share  of  work  to  the  support  of 


That  Awful,  Terrible  Crime.  259 

itself  and  its  owner,  and  the  coachman  had  to  plow  or  more  fre- 
quently loitered  in  town. 

It  was  the  custom  among  the  people  to  walk  when  visiting  each 
other  where  the  distance  was  not  considerable.  Also  to  take  ad- 
vantage of  the  near  cuts,  the  paths  through  the  woods  and  around 
the  fields.  Near  neighbors  with  only  a  mile  or  two  separating  them 
of  course  walked,  lut  they  would  start  early  in  the  morning,  take 
dinner  with  their  friends  and  return  late  in  the  afternoon. 

This  was  the  case  with  Mrs.  Millv£.~d  and  Miss  Cecelia  one 
day  when  they  visited  a  dear  friend,  Mrs.  George  Sallust,  and 
her  two  charming  daughters,  who  resided  about  a  mile  and  a 
fourth  from  the  home  of  Mr.  Glaucus  Badger.  They  walked 
over  to  Mrs.  Sallust's  early  in  the  morning  and  spent  the  day 
very  delightfully. 

Their  memories  of  the  past  and  of  people  were  charmingly  dis- 
cussed. 

Late  in  the  afternoon  the  two  very  interesting  Misses  Sallust 
accompanied  Mrs.  Millyard  and  Miss  Cecelia  along  the  path 
through  a  clump  of  woods  until  they  arrived  at  the  corner  of  a 
field  where  there  was  a  wagon  road  on  the  upper  side  of  the 
field,  when  they  parted  with  mutual  salutations  and  expressions 
of  their  pleasure  in  meeting  and  regret  at  having  to  part. 

The  Misses  Sallust  merrily  sang  in  voice  that  was  loud  and 
which  resounded  melodiously  through  the  woods  as  gayly  they 
homeward  skipped — as  the  sun  set  in  lurid  splendor. 

Mrs.  Millyard  and  Miss  Cecelia  slowly,  with  hearts  beating 
lightly,  wended  their  way  along  the  old  seldom-used  road.  At 
the  other  corner  of  the  field,  half  a  mile  from  Mr.  Sallust's  and 
nearly  a  mile  from  their  cousin  Glaucus  Badger's  home,  they 
left  the  old  grass-grown  road  and  took  a  path  through  the  woods. 
The  sun,  which  had  shone  so  gloriously  the  day,  had  hid  its  face 
from  their  eager,  watching  sight  down  in  the  earth  below  the 
trees  with  only  the  shimmering  sheen  to  be  seen. 

They  had  not  proceeded  far  into  the  woods  when  suddenly  a 
mulatto  sprang  in  the  path  directly  in  front  of  them.  He  was 
quick  and  excited  in  his  motion. 

In  another  moment  a  coal  black  negro  rushed  from  the  bushes 
at  their  side. 

The  frail,  defenseless  women  were  frightened  to  almost  stupe- 
faction. This  was  superinduced  from  a  knowledge  of  the  fast- 
growing,  almost  inevitable  result  of  such  conduct.     Their  fright, 


260  The  Lady  of  New  Orleans. 

therefore,  was  of  that  nature  which  stupefies  defenseless  women, 
especially  ladies  of  refinement  and  under  such  conditions. 

They  grasped  each  other,  screamed  and  then  swooned. 

The  black  ruffian,  a  muscular,  greasy-skinned,  lantern- jawed, 
white  eye-balled,  black-puniled,  grim-visaged  fellow,  apparently 
about  thirty  years  of  age,  grasped  Miss  Cecelia  in  his  arms  and 
bore  her  apart.  At  the  same  time  the  other  negro,  a  bold,  freckled- 
faced  mulatto,  wall-eyed  and  with  scowling  features  and  appar- 
ently about  twenty-seven  years  of  age,  clutched  Mrs.  Millyard, 
and,  jerking  her  to  one  side  of  f  j  path,  cried : 

"  Holler  ag'in  an'  I'll  kill  you !  " 

"Demon,  you  shall  not,"  screamed  Mrs.  Millyard  as  loud  as 
she  could,  her  strength  and  courage  evidently  returning,  as  she 
resisted  and  attempted  to  rush  to  the  rescue  of  her  daughter,  who 
was  listless. 

The  mixed-breeded  negro,  with  all  the  attributes  and  instincts 
of  the  more  uncivilized  slayer  of  men,  his  eyes  now  gleaming  in 
fiery,  orange-tinted  hue,  clutched  his  right  hand  on  the  left  side 
of  the  throat  of  the  poor  woman  and  slapped  her  severely  on  the 
right  cheek  with  his  left  open  hand;  she  uttered  not  a  sound,  she 
was  dazed.  The  brute  then  jerked  her  sprawling,  her  body  strik- 
ing against  a  sapling  tree,  then  she  fell  to  the  ground. 

Miss  Cecelia  was  as  limp  as  she  would  have  been  if  asleep. 

The  black  negro  fiend  dragged  her  into  the  bushes  not  far  from 

the  path,   where  she   immediately  began  to   revive  and  moaned 

for  her  mother,  occasionally  saying  in  low,  faint  voice : 

"Allie,  Allie!     Buddie,  why  don't  you  come?" 
****** 

When  dark  came  and  Mrs.  Millyard  and  Miss  Cecelia  had  not 
returned,  Mr.  Glaucus  Badger,  becoming  uneasy  about  their 
undue  absence,  hitched  a  horse  to  his  surrev  and  drove  as  quickly 
as  possible  to  the  home  of  Mr.  George  Sallust. 

Mr.  Sallust  and  his  family  were  amazed.  The  circumstances 
of  the  two  Misses  Sallust  accomoanving  the  two  ladies  to  the 
corner  of  the  field  were  quickly  related. 

Leaving  his  surrey,  as  it  could  not  be  taken  over  the  path,  Mr. 
Badger,  accompanied  by  Mr.  Sallust.  two  or  three  children  and  a 
couple  of  stout  farm  hands,  with  pine  torches,  set  out  on  the  path 
taken  by  the  ladies. 

Arriving  at  the  spot  where  the  ladies  were  assaulted  the  at- 
tention oAhe  rescuers  was  attracted  by  low  moans  of  a  female 


That  Awful,  Terrible  Crime.  2(.t 

voice  issuing  from  the  woods  at  a  point  about  one  hundred  feet 
or  more  from  the  path.  Quickly  with  their  torchlights  the  party 
rushed  to  the  spot. 

There  they  beheld,  first,  Mrs.  Millyard,  her  classic,  interesting 
features  transformed  into  pallid,  haggard  visage,  with  wild,  star- 
ing eyes.  She  was  wailing  and  moaning  as  she  bent  over  the 
prostrate  form  of  her  only  daughter. 

Mrs.  Millyard  was  insane. 

Miss  Cecelia  was  unconscious.  Their  dresses  were  torn,  their 
tresses  were  disheveled,  their  faces  and  bodies  were  scratched, 
and  they  had  been  bleeding. 

Information  was  dispatched  by  messengers  to  the  neighbors  at 
once  and  a  man  was  sent  for  Mr.  Badger's  bloodhounds. 

Mrs.  Millyard,  still  raving  in  madness  and  clinging  to  her 
daughter,  was,  with  Miss  Cecelia,  conveyed  to  the  home  of  Mr. 
George  Sallust.  The  news  spread  fast ;  the  people  gathered 
quickly. 

The  sad  plight  of  the  two  unfortunate  ladies  was  appalling. 
Women  and  children  were  weeping  and  wailing.  Some  of  the 
men  were  weepin«",  too,  as  for  that  matter. 

The  frenzied  men,  increasing  in  numbers  every  minute,  swore 
aloud  and  vowed  to  hove  vengeance  before  another  sun  had  set  in 
peace  from  over  their  perturbed  heads. 

The  acme  was  reached.     The  die  was  cast. 

The  voice  of  the  people  was  the  voice  of  God,  and  the  culprits 
must  needs  suffer  the  penaltv  of  death  according  to  the  law  of 
nature,  if  not  the  law  of  God,  in  a  most  summary  manner. 

The  bloodhounds  were  brought  to  the  place  where  the  outrage 
occurred  and  readily  took  the  trail,  dividing  themselves,  the  one 
part  following  howling  and  yelping  in  one  direction,  while  the 
other  smaller  portion  took  a  direction  at  a  right  angle  from  the 
other  squad. 

The  howling  hounds  made  the  welkin  ring  in  the  fore-midnight 
air,  and  each  came  upon  its  prey  before  the  fastest  clock  could 
strike  the  hour  of  ten.  Pine  torches  lit  the  woods,  swamps  and 
fields  for  miles  around  like  Chinese  lanterns  at  a  fete  cliampctrc, 
or  electric  lights  at  a  lawn  party  in  a  suburban  villa. 

One  pack  of  hounds  and  their  followers  traced  the  freckled- 
faced,  yellow-tinted  negro  to  a  bog  in  a  forest  of  small  deciduous 
and  lambai  growth,  where  the  culprit,  no  doubt,  thought  himself 
secure,  but  where  he  was  captured  and  firmly  tied  with  ropes. 


262  The  Lady  of  New  Orleans. 

This  part  of  the  fast-approaching  midnight  performance  hav- 
ing arrived  at  its  fruition,  the  semi-paralyzed,  yellow-tinted 
negro  was  brought  forth  from  the  dungeon-like  jungle  and  made 
to  answer  questions. 

Among  other  things  he  confessed  and  which  no  doubt  was  the 
chief  incentive  of  his  making  the  confession,  was  the  declaration 
that  he  was  to  have  taken  the  young  lady,  or  girl,  as  he  expressed 
it,  and  the  other  negro,  the  black  one,  George  Monroe  by  name, 
was  to  take  the  other  lady,  but  George  Monroe  took  advantage 
of  him. 

He  told  the  whole  circumstances  of  the  affair.  How  they  were 
passing  and  talked  with  a  young  negro  boy,  who  had  been  at 
work  in  the  field,  who  told  them  of  the  fact  that  the  ladies  were 
at  the  house  and  would  pass  that  way  late  in  the  afternoon  as 
they  were  on  their  route  returning  to  Mr.  Badger's. 

The  yellow  negro  was  then  taken  to  the  home  of  Mr.  Sallust 
and  brought  before  the  victims. 

Miss  Cecelia  was  lying  on  a  couch  in  the  front  and  most  open 
room  in  the  house  where  she  could  get  fresh  air,  and  her  mother 
was  held  at  her  bedside,  held  because  she  persisted  in  desiring  to 
throw  herself  across  the  bosom  and  face  of  her  daughter.  Thus 
they  were  when  the  mulatto  villain,  who  had  not  given  his  name, 
was  brought  before  them  for  recognition.  As  the  stalwart  Glau- 
cus  Badger  marched  the  negro  before  Mrs.  Millyard  she  raised 
her  head  from  beside  that  of  her  daughter,  and,  ceasing  wailing, 
glanced  her  tear-dimmed  eyes  for  a  moment  at  the  brute.  Then 
she  shrieked : 

"The  villain!  Take  him  away!  Take  him  .way!  He  is  the 
villainous  wretch  who  fouled  me !  " 

As  the  men  who  had  hold  of  the  yellow,  freckled-faced  fiend 
conducted  him  out  at  the  front  door  some  one  grabbed  a  long- 
handled  spade  that  was  on  the  porch  and  dealt  the  brute  a  blow 
with  the  blade  of  the  spade  on  the  side  of  the  face.  This  was  the 
signal  for  a  general  onslaught  upon  the  miserable  wretcn  to  take 
his  life. 

There  was  a  sturdier  man  at  the  helm,  however,  than  the  ruth- 
less but  righteously  indignant  fellow  who  smote  the  brute  with 
the  spade.  Glaucus  Badger  cried  out  to  stay  such  action  just  in 
time  to  allay  the  frenzied  men  who  were  scrambling  to  seize  the 
culprit  and  wrench  his  body  to  pieces. 

"  Wait,  men,  wait  until  we  get  the  other  villain.    Do  not  lynch 


That  Awful,  Terrible  Crime.  263 

him  in  the  presence  of  ladies.  Take  them  both  to  the  scene  of 
the  crime."    This  timely  admonition  prevailed. 

Meantime  the  negro  was  subjected  to  quite  rough  treatment. 
J\o  person  present  had  any  sympathy  for  him.  A  sympathizer 
would  have  had  the  curse  of  those  men  on  him. 

Glaucus  Badger  and  George  Sallust,  both,  had  often  declared 
publicly  to  many  persons  together  and  apart,  that  lynching  is  a 
crime  and  that  they  would  never  be  guilty  of  assisting  at  a  lynch- 
ing or  countenance  one.  Glaucus  Badger  had  even  said  emphat- 
ically that  he  would  go  before  the  grand  jury  and  present  any 
man  or  men  whom  he  might  know  of  assisting  in  a  lynching. 
George  Sallust  had  spoken  in  terms  nearly  as  strong.  The  people 
seemed  to  coincide  with  them.  It  is  doubtful  if  there  was  a  man 
in  all  that  section  of  country  who  believed  in  lynching.  But  on 
the  contrary,  every  one  of  them  was  opposed  to  it.  However, 
the  scene  before  .hei~  eyes  had  wrought  these  men  up  to  such  a 
frenzy  of  feeling  that  reason  was  dethroned,  blood  boiled  hot  and 
all  thought  of  former  protestation  or  professions  of  opinion  on  the 
subject  had  Laken  flight,  pinioned  on  the  swift  wings  of  anger, 
which  demanded  immediate  retribution. 

Sayest  thou,  why  not  be  calm  and  permit  the  law  to  take  its 
course?  There  is  a  deep-seated  reason.  A  reason  as  calm  and 
philosophic  in  its  nature  as  that  by  which  every  one  justifies 
himself  in  not  obeying  the  Scriptural  command  that,  "  Whoso- 
ever shall  smite  thee  on  thy  right  cheek  turn  to  him  the  other 
also." 

Yet  there  is  a  reason  still  more  deep  and  clear.  It  is  this 
reason  which  takes  the  law  unto  itself.  Are  all  men  perfect? 
Are  all  men's  imperfections  known  ?  In  any  State,  anywhere, 
under  the  law  and  system  of  obtaining  juries,  can  twelve  per- 
fect men,  good  and  true,  be  had  as  jurymen  on  a  trial  for  lynch- 
ing? This  was  not  all:  i.  e.,  in  explanation  of  the  reasons:  the 
culprits  knew  the  punishment.  Divine  thou  the  balance  and 
know  then  the  balance  of  the  reasons  for  lynchings. 

The  bloodhounds  trailed  the  other  negro,  George  Monroe, 
about  six  miles,  when  he  was  brought  to  bay  in  a  stable-loft.  He 
was  soon  brought  out  and  securelv  bound,  hands  and  feet,  with 
rope  plow-lines,  his  hands  behind  him.  He  was  then  placed 
across  the  pommel  of  a  saddle  on  a  swift  horse  in  front  of  a  stal- 
wart rider  and  they  galloned  to  the  home  of  George  Sallust. 
Other  riders  accompanied  them,  while  those  afoot  took  the  near 


264  The  Lady  of  New  Orleans. 

cuts  and  ran  as  swiftly  as  they  could  to  be  in  at  the  end  of  the 
chase,  as  it  were. 

The  time-honored  custom  of  confronting  the  two  culprits  be- 
fore each  other,  when  there  are  two  or  more  and  one  has  con- 
fessed, was  duly  complied  with.  The  freckled-faced,  copper- 
colored  negro  stated  that  George  Monroe,  the  man  before  him, 
was  the  one  who  was  with  him  and  who  assaulted  Miss  Cecelia, 
or,  rather,  "  the  girl,"  as  he  expressed  it. 

George  Monroe  flatly  denied  the  accusation  or  assertion  and 
affirmed  that  he  did  not  know  the  mulatto  who  was  thus  implicat- 
ing him  in  such  a  heinously  serious  crime.  Monroe,  not  denying 
his  name,  said  he  happened  to  be  passing  along  the  road  when  the 
dogs  came  running  in  sight  of  him  and  he  ran  to  keep  them  from 
catching  him  by  mistake.  He  said  the  dogs  turned  from  their 
course  to  take  after  him  and  then  he  ran  the  faster.  He  didn't 
know  what  they  were  after  him  for. 

The  repulsive-looking  negro  protested  his  innocence  so  vehe- 
mently the  men  decided  to  take  him  before  his  victims  for  identi- 
fication. In  the  glare  of  an  hundred  and  fifty  or  more  large 
torchlights,  made  of  rich  pine,  held  high  over  the  side  of  the 
heads  of  the  bearers,  and  a  half  dozen  or  more  oil  lanterns,  the 
men  on  foot  and  horseback  surrounding  the  two  doomed  negroes, 
both  being  now  tied  together,  one  behind  the  other  and  each  with 
two  ropes,  one  on  each  side,  tied  around  their  necks  and  held  by 
four  men  riding  at  their  sides,  with  others  in  front  and  rear,  the 
solemn  procession  thus  formed  marched  from  the  place  where 
they  were,  the  scene  of  the  crime,  to  the  home  of  Mr.  Sallust, 
where  the  victims  were  notified  by  a  messenger  swift  on  horse  of 
their  coming  and  the  purpose. 

As  soon  as  her  attention  could  be  diverted  from  her  daughter 
and  she  cast  her  eyes  on  the  two  negroes,  Mrs.  Millyard,  point- 
ing to  George  Monroe  and  glaring  at  him  fiercely,  exclaimed : 

"  That  is  the  fiend ;  you  have  them  both.  They  two  are  the 
foul  fiends !  " 

"  That  is  sufficient,  gentlemen,"  commanded  Glaucus  Badger. 
"  Take  them  back  to  the  scene  of  the  crime." 

The  men  in  charge  of  the  negroes  marched  them  out  of  the 
bouse. 

Mrs.  Millyard  moaned  a  fearfully  dismal  moan.  Swaying  her 
bodv  to  and  fro  while  being  held  in  restraint  by  kind  friends  to 
prevent  her  from  falling  on  Miss  Cecelia,  she  cried : 


That  Awful,  Terrible  Crime.  265 

"  God  be  merciful  to  my  poor  daughter  and  avenge,  as  ven- 
geance is  Thine,  her  terrible  outrage !  O,  God,  restore  her  to 
me  again !  " 

The  poor  woman  seemed  not  to  think  of  herself.  All  her  ex- 
pressions were  for  her  daughter. 

Presently,  for  the  first  time,  Miss  Cecelia  began  to  move  volun- 
tarily. With  much  anxiety  and  earnest  feeling  the  physicians, 
ladies,  old  ladies,  young  ladies  and  girls,  a  large  number  being 
present,  peered  with  joy  at  the  evidence  of  returning  sensibility. 

Some  of  them  spoke  to  her  in  endearing  words  and  tones. 
Others  soothed  her  brow  with  gentle  smoothings  of  their  hands, 
while  one  of  the  doctors  placed  camphor  to  her  nostrils.  Directly 
her  eyes  began  to  move,  then  the  lids  opened.  Her  beautiful,  but 
now  lustreless  eyes  peered  about  for  a  few  seconds,  when  she 
asked : 

"  Where  am  I  ?    Is  buddie  here?  " 

In  the  absence  of  a  father  or  a  husband  a  brother  should  protect 
his  sister. 

'  You  are  at  Mrs.  Sallust's.  Here  is  Jennie ;  don't  you  know 
her  ?  "  said  a  lady  who  made  way  for  Miss  Jennie  Sallust  at  the 
bedside. 

"  Jennie?  "  feebly  spoke  Miss  Cecelia.  "  O,  yes,  Jennie;  where 
is  that  horrible  black  demon  ?  " 

'  The  men  have  him  safe ;  they  carried  him  away,"  quickly 
replied  the  doctor  for  fear  answer  might  be  made  that  would 
unduly  excite  her  nerves.  .  Then  he  soothingly  spoke  to  her  in 
continuation  until  he  administered  a  lotion. 

When  her  daughter  spoke  Mrs.  Millyard  wept  with  joy;  albeit, 
scarce  could  she  speak  herself,  though  anon  still  raving. 

Meantime  the  incident  transpiring,  as  Mr.  Badger  said,  "  at  the, 
scene  of  the  crime,"  was  of  a  most  lurid  and  thrilling  char- 
acter. 

The  scene  was  lighted  by  three  hundred  and  more  torches.  The 
night  was  dark  and  calm.  No  moon  shed  a  pallid  lustre  on  the 
scene.  Though  not  cold  the  air  was  crisp.  The  fearless,  deter- 
mined men  proceeded  with  the  lynching  of  the  two  negro  men 
as  calmly  and  methodically  as  if  they  were  slaughtering  a  bullock. 

Nooses  were  made  and  the  ropes  were  placed  around  their 
necks  in  a  manner  exactly  alike.  The  underbrush  was  cleared 
away  from  under  the  limb  of  a  large  white  oak  tree  close  beside 
the  path.    A  table  being  provided,  it  was  placed  under  the  limb. 


266  The  Lady  of  New  Orleans. 

The  two  men,  their  legs  tied  and  their  hands  bound  behind  them, 
were  stood  on  the  table  and  ordered  to  say  one  at  a  time  all  they 
desired  to  state  in  reference  to  the  crimes. 

The  black  one,  George  Monroe,  refused  to  make  any  other 
statement  only  that  the  other  "  nigger  "  was  "  lyin'  'bout  him." 

The  mulatto  man  said  his  name  was  Dennis  Morris.  He  then 
went  on  and  made  about  the  same  statement  he  made  previously, 
declaring  before  God  and  those  persons  around  him  that  the 
other  negro,  George  Monroe,  led  him  into  committing  the  crime 
and  that  they  were  both  guilty  alike. 

The  two  negroes  were  then  told  to  say  their  pravers.  It  was 
then  the  hour  of  midnight.  George  Monroe  sullenly  refused  to 
make  any  attempt  at  praying  or  to  ask  God  to  have  mercy  on  his 
soul.  The  mulatto,  Dennis  Morris,  began  mumbling  a  prayer, 
at  which  instant  every  head  in  the  vast  assemblage  was  bowed 
and  nearly  all  were  bared.  The  scene  was  impressive,  profound. 
A  child  could  have  swayed  the  mob  to  do  anything  but  to  desist 
from  its  self-imposed  task.     Torture  was  not  allowed. 

When  Dennis  had  finished  his  praver  the  two  negroes  were 
made  to  stand  with  their  backs  to  each  other  on  the  table.  The 
two  ends  of  the  ropes  that  were  noosed  round  their  necks  were 
thrown  over  the  big  limb  of  the  tree  and  drawn  up  taut,  then 
wound  round  two  saplings  near-by  at  each  side.  The  table  was 
supported  by  four  or  more  stalwart  men,  who  held  it  by  the  legs 
and  raised  it,  with  the  negroes  on  it,  as  high,  from  the  ground  as 
they  could  reach.  The  table  was  suddenly  and  dexterously  tossed 
upward  a  little  and  jerked  from  under  the  culprits  at  the  word 
of  command. 

The  bodies  of  the  doomed  men  fell  at  least  five  feet,  their  feet 
nearly  reaching  to  the  ground.  The  two  negroes  gurgled  and  their 
bodies  writhed  as  much  as  the  ropes  that  "were  tied"  around  their 
legs  and  over  their  arms  around  their  bodies  would  admit.  The 
dangling  bodies'  wriggled  and  squirmed  during  several  minutes. 
At  length  the  writhings  began  to  cease;  finally  only  spasmodic 
jerks  and  twitchings  were  observable. 

In  half  an  hour  the  black  one  was  pronounced  dead.  In  a  few 
minutes  more  the  mulatto  was  also  declared  to  be  dead,  both  a 
surgeon  and  a  physician  so  pronouncing.  But  they  were  dead 
long  before. 

The  tragedy  was  over,  finished,  so  far  as  those  men  were  able 
to  atone  by  their  lives.    But  their  victims,  what  of  them  ? 


That  Awful,  Terrible  Crime.  267 

The  bodies  were  left  swinging  by  the  ropes  to  the  limb  of  the 
old  oak  tree. 

Satisfied,  frenzied  desire  appeased,  relaxation  of  nerves  taking 
place,  the  men,  after  agreeing  to  meet  there  next  morning  to 
bury  the  dead,  heeded  the  request  of  Glaucus  Badger  to  disperse 
in  peace  and  quietly  go  to  their  homes  with  a  consciousness  of 
having  done  no  wrong  in  the  sight  of  God,  whose  agents  they 
were  more  than  is  the  soldier  in  a  battle  or  a  sheriff  at  a  hanging. 


268  The  Lady  of  New  Orleans. 


CHAPTER  XLIV. 

THE   CURSE  OF   THE  REPUBLIC. 

As  Miss  Cecelia  revived  her  mother  grew  worse.  The  former 
took  some  light  nourishment  and  began  to  converse  with  those 
persons  whom  she  knew  who  were  around  her  bed.  Mrs.  Mill- 
yard  became  feverish  and  delirious.  It  grew  apace  with  ad- 
vancing dawn.  It  was  with  great  difficulty  that  she  was  re- 
strained from  doing  violence  to  herself  and  to  those  around  her. 

Just  as  the  bright  sun,  which  the  evening  before  had  left  her 
and  her  daughter  so  radiantly  happy  in  its  glorious  setting, 
gleamed  its  first  rays  into  the  silent  chamber  soon  after  Miss  Ce- 
celia had  been  quieted  to  slumber,  and  while  the  doctors  and  the 
ladies  dozed  in  chairs  and  on  the  sides  of  the  two  beds,  for  an- 
other bed  had  been  brought  in  the  room  for  Miss  Cecelia,  Mrs. 
Millyard,  suddenly  awakening,  with  a  terrific  scream,  sprang 
from  the  bed,  exclaiming: 

"  You  brute  !  Fiend  !  You  shall  not !  Turn  me  loose !  Turn 
me  loose,  I  say !  You  villain !  Hold  him,  daughter !  Choke 
him  !    Allie,  run  to  'Celia !  " 

Ladies  grasped  the  unfortunate  woman  as  quickly  as  possible. 
Her  shrieks  aroused  the  whole  household.  Twenty  or  more  men, 
besides  the  large  number  of  ladies,  had  remained  at  Mr.  Sallust's 
and  were  taking  a  final  nap  after  daylight. 

Mrs.  Millyard  in  her  frenzy  and  loss  of  reason  attempted  to 
seize  a  chair,  piteously  screaming: 

"How  dare  you,  brute?  O,  spare  my  child,  my  daughter! 
Spare  her,  spare  her,  please  spare  her."  As  the  farmer  ladies 
were  placing  her  on  the  bed  again,  weak  and  almost  completely 
exhausted,  she  continued : 

"  Choke  him,  daughter,  choke  him !    Allie  is  coming." 

"  My  God,  gentlemen !  I  can't  stand  this,"  exclaimed  the  tall, 
broad-shouldered,  handsome,  manly  Glaucus  Badger,  as  he  stood 


The  Curse  of  the  Republic.  269 

in  the  center  of  the  room  and  slammed  his  big  felt  hat  in  his  left 
hand  with  a  crushing  blow.  "  I  feel  like  I  could  exterminate  the 
nigger  in  this  country  !  " 

Continuous  flash  after  flash  of  lightning  and  peal  after  peal  of 
roaring  thunder  rolling  low  over  an  assemblage  of  people  in  the 
open  air,  while  the  earth  quaked  and  trembled,  could  not  have 
produced  a  more  profoundly  thrilling,  livid,  quickening  sensation 
among  them  than  did  these  few  electrifying  words  of  Glaucus 
Badger  have  on  those  peoole  there  that  morning.  Perfect  silence 
prevailed  in  an  instant.  Faces  were  blanched  to  the  pallid  white- 
ness of  cotton.  No  one  spoke  or  moved  for  near  two  minutes. 
The  awful  stillness  was  painful.  At  length  George  Sallust  broke 
the  spell  by  shouting: 

"  By  the  eternals !  I  am  with  you !  "  The  last  words  were 
spoken  in  thundering  tones. 

The  doctors  said  Mrs.  Millvard  was  a  raving  maniac  and  that 
she  was  seriously  ill,  besides  it  was  doubtful  whether  she  would 
live  to  be  carried  home. 

Mr.  Alpha  Millvard  was  telegraphed  for.  But  he  was  in  Eu- 
rope. The  telegram  to  him  at  New  Orleans  was  answered  by 
Mr.  Mike  Delarue,  so  stating. 

The  condition  of  Mrs.  Millyard  remained  unchanged  and  pre- 
carious during  several  days.  The  good  people  were  very  kind 
in  administering  in  everv  needful  way  to  all  her  wants  and  also 
those  of  Miss  Cecelia.     The  latter  improved  rapidly. 

During  a  lucid  spell  Mrs.  Millyard  requested  to  be  taken  back 
to  Atlanta,  her  dear  old  home. 

Consequently  near  the  end  of  the  second  week  from  the  time 
of  their  dire  misfortune,  Mrs.  Millyard  and  Miss  Cecelia  were 
returned  to  Atlanta ;  but,  oh,  how  sadly  different  in  their  condi- 
tion from  what  they  were  in  happiness  on  the  day  when  they  de- 
parted ! 

Neither  of  them  could  bestow  any  of  their  thoughts  on  their 
new  home.  Mrs.  Millyard  was  unable  to  do  so  because  she  had 
no  mind  to  bestow  upon  it.  Miss  Cecelia  was  unable  to  do  so 
for  the  reason  that  her  mind  was  altogether  centered  upon  her 
mother.  Her  spirit  and  animation  were  only  buoyed  and  sup- 
ported by  anxiety  and  hope  about  her  mother.  Betwixt  hope 
and  fear  the  trembling  scale  the  balance  felt  as  up  and  down  it 
went. 

For  four  days  and  nights  longer  did  Mrs.  Millyard  rave  and 


270  The  Lady  of  New  Orleans. 

wail,  confined  in  her  room,  where  they  were  boarding  across  the 
street  from  their  new  home,  which  was  now  fast  approaching 
completion.  Strong  women  were  employed  to  guard  Mrs.  Mill- 
yard  to  prevent  her  from  doing  violence  to  herself  or  to  others. 
She  pined  in  great  agony  and  distress. 

At  last  her  angel  came.  But  how  shockingly  sad  her  sweet 
life  ended. 

Mrs.  Millyard  had  relaxed  from  a  paroxysm  of  rage  and  mad- 
ness and  was  peacefully  resting  on  the  bed,  while  the  attendants, 
worn  out,  exhausted  by  their  labors  during  the  last  spell,  just 
before  three  in  the  morning  by  the  clock,  were  momentarily  rest- 
ing and  diverted  in  their  attention  from  her,  she  suddenly  plunged 
on  the  floor  from  the  bed  and,  quickly  recovering  herself,  rushed 
in  a  run  to  the  rear  window.  Dashing  through  the  sash  head- 
foremost, breaking  the  sash  and  the  glass  and  gashing  great  rents 
in  her  skin  and  flesh  on  the  face,  arms  and  hands,  bleeding  pro- 
fusely and  shrieking  as  loud  as  she  could  scream :  "  Choke  him, 
daughter !  Choke  him  !  Allie  will  come  !  "  she  ran  to  the  head 
of  the  stairway  leading  down  stairs  to  the  back  yard  and,  appar- 
ently without  noticing  the  steps,  plunged  down  them  face  fore- 
most, then  tumbling  over  and  over  she  went  to  the  bottom. 

When  taken  up  it  was  found  her  neck  was  broken. 

Appalling?  The  curse  of  God  is  upon  the  one  or  the  other, 
the  negro  or  the  white  race  with  whom  they  are.  Be  it  which 
they  are  not  destined  to  dwell  together.  Even  if  they  do  con- 
tinue to  have  their  habitations  in  the  same  country  they  will 
never  again  dwell  together  in  unity  of  peace  and  concord.  The 
bane,  the  curse  of  the  South  ?    Yea ! 

Their  being  in  it,  like  the  fumes  from  a  burning  sulphuretted 
morass,  will  spread  over  the  whole  broad  land.  Will  that  be  to 
the  South  a  source  of  resurgation? 

No  people  with  manhood,  intelligence  and  civilization,  wealth 
and  refinement,  like  the  people  of  the  South,  and  with  their  an- 
cestry, can  be  kept  under  the  ban,  and  neither  can  they  live  and 
prosper  with  a  bar-sinister  of  race. 

It  were  well  for  those  who  have  an  interest  in  the  matter  to 
take  heed  and  consider  this  aspect  of  the  future  while  it  were  yet 
not  over-ripe  for  the  wine-press. 

Mrs.  Millyard  was  laid  away  in  Oakland  Cemetery.  The  fu- 
neral cortege  was  immense.  Nearly  all  the  old  inhabitants  and 
hundreds  of  those  good  people  who  have,  since  the  civil  war, 


The  Curse  of  the  Republic.  271 

flocked  to  Atlanta  from  all  sections  of  the  United  States  and 
from  all  over  the  world,  attended  the  funeral. 

It  was  a  day  of  sadness  and  mourning  for  the  whole  city.  The 
awful  circumstances  of  her  sudden  taking  away  elicited  profound 
sorrow  among  all  classes  of  citizens. 

Miss  Cecelia  was  again  prostrated.  Her  nervous  system 
showed  symptoms  of  collapse  and  there  was  great  uneasiness 
about  her  condition  and  its  final  outcome  during  several  days. 

Finally,  however,  she  rallied  and  was  again  improving  under 
the  constant  watchful  care  of  her  physician,  Dr.  Hood,  and  kind 
friends. 


272  The  Lady  of  New  Orleans. 


CHAPTER  XLV 

GRAND  BONANZA  SOLD. 

When  Mr.  Millyard  returned  from  Europe  three  expert  geol- 
ogists, a  mineralogist  and  a  confidential  man  of  the  house  of 
Rothschilds  were  with  him.  They  went  immediately  from  New 
York  to  the  mines.  During  four  days  these  men  were  given  the 
freedom  of  the  place,  the  confidential  man  having  full  access  to  the 
books  and  the  vault. 

On  the  third  night  after  their  arrival,  Mr.  Millyard,  Professor 
Wortman  and  the  gentlemen  were  seated  on  the  broad  veranda 
in  huge  rustic  rocking-chairs  smoking  North  Carolina-made  Ha- 
vana cigars. 

The  confidential  man  of  the  Rothschilds  became  also  some- 
what so  to  Mr.  Millyard.     He  remarked,  partly  in  French : 

"  This  is  the  most  gigantic  business  I  have  ever  known.  You 
are  getting  out  a  score  of  fortunes  every  day.  I  think  I  shall 
have  to  cable  my  report  at  once  so  that  if  those  people  intend  to 
purchase  they  can  do  so  immediately  and  by  that  means  reap  the 
results  which  will  in  the  meantime  be  yours.  I  wish  to  say  this, 
however,  I  am  satisfied.  Professor  Wortman,  if  these  parties 
whom  we  represent  should  purchase  these  mines  and  take  your 
interest  as  well  as  that  of  Monsieur  Millyard,  they  will  do  so 
only  provided  you  will  remain  and  conduct  the  business." 

"  I  could  do  so,"  replied  Professor  Wortman,  emphasizing 
could.  "  But  you  will  observe  that  I  will  have  sufficient  money 
for  me  to  retire  and  be  at  ease  the  remainder  of  my  life." 

"  Baron  de  Rothschild  thinks  a  man  should  not  get  at  ease," 
said  the  confidential  man.  "  He  is  the  hardest  worked  man  in 
Europe.  He  would  soon  die  of  ennui  were  he  to  retire  from 
business." 

"  I  recognize  that  fact,"  said  Professor  Wortman.  "  I  am 
somewhat  philosophical  in  matters  of  life  myself.     I  was  a  poor 


Grand  Bonanza  Sold.  273 

man  a  very  short  time  ago.  I  had  labored  hard  all  my  life  and 
spent  much  of  my  time  in  deep  study.  I  had  no  established  busi- 
ness running  smoothly  like  clockwork,  and  have  had  to  do  all  my 
work  myself.  I  did  not  have  trained  men,  each  in  his  sphere  of 
duty,  to  perform  my  work  for  me  and  make  my  life  easy.  So  I 
am  overworked.  When  I  can  retire  with  grace  and  ease  it  is  my 
desire  and  duty  to  myself  to  do  so." 

"  We  will  have  all  the  men  of  the  necessary  ability  to  aid  you," 
replied  the  confidential  man.  "  All  we  would  want  is  that  you 
give  the  business  your  personal  direction.  Our  people  would  be 
more  agreeable  and  better  satisfied.  We  believe  where  a  man 
makes  a  success  for  himself  in  this  line  there  also  is  the  place  for 
us  to  keep  him.     We  have  no  pets  to  reward." 

"  I  can  remain  with  you  on  a  salary  until  I  can  instruct  your 
man,"  said  the  Professor.  ;'  If  he  be  competent  I  can  impart  to 
him  sufficient  information  within  a  few  months,  probably  two 
or  three  months." 

'  That  possibly  would  be  satisfactory  if  you  make  it  twelve 
months,"  suggested  the  agent.  "  If  you  will  agree  to  that  I  will 
cable  to-night ;  that  is,  if  you  can  send  it  to  the  telegraph  office 
for  me." 

"  Certainly;  we  have  messengers  for  that  purpose,"  quickly  re- 
plied the  Professor.  He  saw  the  man  meant  to  close  the  deal. 
"  I  guess  I  will  agree  and  remain  a  year  as  you  request." 

The  cablegram  was  sent.  Late  in  the  day  following  a  reply 
was  received. 

It  requested  that  Mr.  Millyard  and  Professor  Wortman  accom- 
pany the  gentlemen  to  Europe  at  once. 

"  This  business  will  not  permit  of  my  leaving  here,"  said 
Professor  Wortman.  "  I  can,  however,  give  my  proxy,  my  power 
of  attorney,  to' Mr.  Millyard.     He  can  act  for  me." 

'  That  will  answer  all  purposes,"  he  said,  "  except  as  to  mak- 
ing a  contract  to  run  the  business  for  them.  What  are  you  will- 
ing to  do  in  that  respect?  How  much  salary  do  you  want  to  re- 
main a  year?  " 

"  I  will  remain  the  twelve  months  for  five  thousand  dollars  per 
month,"  replied  the  Professor.  "  I  can  clear  more  than  thirty 
times  a  whole  year's  salary  on  the  first  day." 

"  I  will  recommend  that  they  give  it,"  said  the  man. 

All  the  preliminaries  being  arranged.  Mr.  Millyard  agreed  tc 
sail  from  New  Orleans  as  soon  as  possible  inside  of  two  weeks, 
18 


274  The  Lady  of  New  Orleans. 

and  the  confidential  man  and  the  experts  took  their  departure  for 
New  York  to  return  to  Europe. 

"  Now,  Professor,  what  we  must  do,"  said  Millyard,  "is  to 
rush  everything  as  rapidly  as  possible  before  we  make  the  trans- 
fer. It  occurs  to  me  that  five  hundred  million  dollars  for  me  and 
fifty  million  dollars  for  you  is  a  cash  transaction  that  just  only 
few  men  ever,  if  ever,  received  for  their  own  behoof  before.  They 
are  more  anxious  to  purchase  than  we  are  to  sell.  They  want  to 
close  the  deal  as  quickly  as  possible.  I  am  to  take  a  large  portion 
of  my  pay  in  securities.  I  would  have  to  invest  any  way.  But 
they  are  to  pay  yours  in  cash." 

'  I  am  entirely  satisfied  with  your  trade,  as  I  cabled  you,"  said 
Professor  Wortman.  '  I  leave  the  whole  transaction  entirely  in 
your  hands.  It  is  you  who  have  made  it  for  me.  I  worked  for 
you  and  myself,  with  my  brains  and  your  money.  If  you  had  not 
let  me  have  the  money  to  commence  the  business,  and  I  an  entire 
stranger  to  you,  I  could  not  have  made  this  property  what  it  is 
and  could  not  have  developed  one-thousandth  part  of  what  I 
have.  So»  you  may  rest  perfectly  easy  as  to  how  I  feel  about  it. 
You  get  me  fifty  million  dollars,  even  if  it  be  in  securities,  I 
shall  be  a  happy  man." 

'  I  shall  be  sorry  if  they  do  not  get  their  money  back  out  of  it," 
said  Millyard.  "  There  is  this  thing  certain,  however,  if  they 
do  get  their  money  back  they  will  not  be  long  about  it.  Probably 
no  longer  than  we  have  been  getting  out  not  quite  two  hundred 
million." 

As  they  were  walking  back  to  the  office  Millyard  said  he  was 
sorry  about  one  thing,  and  that  was,  he  was  loth  to  give  up  the 
log  castle.  When  the  Professor  said  one  could  be  built  just  like 
it,  Millyard  directed  him  to  get  a  good  architect  and  have  him 
examine  the  house  and  make  the  plans  and  specifications  for  one, 
even  superior,  so  that  he  could  have  it  built  somewhere  near  or  on 
Grandfather  Mountain. 

"  Since  our  business  affairs  are  amicably  arranged,"  said  the 
Professor  sadly,  when  they  were  in  the  office,  "  I  am  sorry  to  say 
I  have  sad  news  for  you.  There  are  a  couple  of  telegrams  from 
your  banker  in  New  Orleans  and  two  from  Atlanta.  I  knew  you 
were  on  the  ocean  so  I  took  the  libertv  of  opening  and  reading 
them." 

Mr.  Millyard  eagerly  grasped  the  telegrams  and  read  them. 

They  announced  the  assault  upon  his  mother  and  his  sister, 


Grand  Bonanza  Sold  275 

and   the    last   one   received   told   of   the   shocking   death   of   his 
mother. 

"  Great  heavens  !  That  is  awful !  "  exclaimed  Mr.  Millyard, 
sinking  back  into  a  chair  in  a  passion  of  weeping. 

Eventually  recovering  himself  somewhat  he  requested  to  be 
sent  over  to  Hickory  at  once. 

He  boarded  the  first  passenger  train  bound  for  Atlanta,  where 
he  stopped  over  and  went  to  see  his  sister. 

Their  meeting  was  so  sad  and  sacred  it  is  not  material  to  de- 
scribe  it,  or  record  what  they  said. 

Mr.  Millyard,  sad  and  gloomy,  returned  to  New  Orleans.  His 
wife  was  greatly  pleased  and  sanctioned  all  that  he  had  done  and 
what  he  proposed  to  do.  So  also  did  Mr.  Mike  Delarue.  Mrs. 
Millyard  declined  his  request  for  her  to  make  this  trip  to  Europe 
with  him,  as  he  would  be  pressed  for  time.  Had  she  known  she 
would  have  complied. 

For  reasons  to  himself  he  refrained  from  acquainting  his  de- 
voted wife  with  the  circumstances  of  his  mother's  death,  only 
relating  the  bare  fact  that  she  had  died  during  his  absence. 

When  Mr.  Millyard  again  arrived  at  the  log  castle  at  the  green 
diamond  mines  amid  the  mountains  of  Western  North  Carolina 
representatives  and  employes  of  a  little  syndicate  that  had  pur- 
chased these  wonderful  spodumene  mines  which  were  producing 
tons  of  gold  and  yielding  thousands  upon  thousands  of  the  rarest, 
most  precious  gem  ever  found  in  all  the  world,  accompanied  him 
from  Europe.  They  were  ready  and  eager  for  the  property  to  be 
turned  over  the  next  day. 

Professor  Wortman,  conforming  to  a  cablegram  from  Mr. 
Millyard,  had  already  made  an  inventory  of  the  property  in  dupli- 
cate ready  for  signature.  Mr.  Dalgal  had  the  deeds  to  the  land 
ready  for  Mr.  Millyard's  signature. 

The  checks,  exchange,  bonds,  stocks  and  other  securities  for 
Mr.  Millyard  and  the  cash  for  Professor  Wortman  had  been 
transferred  from  Europe  and  placed  in  New  York.  The  financial 
representative  of  the  syndicate  had  in  his  possession  written  or- 
ders for  them,  which  orders  were  to  be  turned  over  to  Messrs. 
Millyard  and  Wortman  on  receipt  of  the  deeds  to  the  land  and  a 
receipted  inventory  of  the  plant  and  upon  turning  over  to  him 
as  agent  of  the  purchasers  the  property  itself.  A  New  York 
lawyer  had  come  with  them  to  see  for  the  syndicate  that  every- 
thing was  done  all  right  and  legally. 


276  The  Lady  of  New  Orleans. 

The  deeds  to  the  land  and  bill  of  sale  for  the  personal  property 
were  duly  signed  next  morning  and  the  transfer  legally  consum- 
mated. 

Alpha  Millyard  and  Alfred  Wortman  received  their  stipulated 
price  and  the  representatives  of  the  foreign  syndicate  took  pos- 
session of  the  gigantic  business.  Professor  Wortman  was  ap- 
pointed general  manager  and  one  of  the  men  who  came  over  was 
installed  as  assistant  cashier.  The  other  foreigners  were  also 
assigned  to  positions,  where  they  were  expected  to  learn  their 
respective  duties  as  quickly  as  possible. 

Thus  closed  the  most  gigantic,  colossal  financial  transaction 
that  ever  took  place  between  individuals  since  the  time  when 
man  was  planted  on  this  earth. 

Reality?  The  thing  is  there  to  show  for  itself.  Hundreds  of 
people,  even  in  the  United  States,  are  wearing,  or  have  stored 
away,  one  or  more  of  these  most  brilliant  of  all  sparkling  gems. 
In  fact,  many  of  the  gems  were  given  away  in  this  country. 
These  gems  are  now  sold  for  more  than  they  brought  in  the 
great  hey-day  of  the  mines. 

Two  million  dollars  every  working  day  during  two  months 
and  more ! 

Then  a  sale  of  the  mines  for  five  hundred  and  fifty  million 
dollars ! 

Five  hundred  million  dollars  of  which  belonged  to  one  man ! 

Zounds  !     It  is  stupendously  colossal ! 

Still,  America  is  that  kind  of  country.  Genius  and  enterprise 
with  daring  pluck  redound  in  colossal  fortunes  very  quickly. 
It  is  the  only  country  in  the  world  where,  as  a  rule,  such  colossal 
fortunes  are  acquired  by  individuals  in  such  brief  period. 

Professor  Alfred  Wortman  continued  his  labors  at  the  mines. 
Mr.  Alpha  Millyard  departed  immediately  for  New  York  to  ac- 
quire his  securities,  checks,  exchange  and  cash.  It  was  also  nec- 
essary for  him  to  stop  over  at  Washington  and  Philadelphia  to 
arrange  about  his  share  of  the  gold  and  its  coinage. 

In  New  York  Millyard  secured  a  number  of  safety-vaults  in  a 
trust  company,  as  no  one  vault  was  large  enough,  and  deposited 
many  of  his  securities.  He  arranged  with  different  banks  about 
the  deposit  of  some  of  his  cash  in  each,  but  carried  the  bulk  of  the 
foreign  exchange  and  some  of  the  checks  on  New  York  and  Bos- 
ton banks  with  him  to  New  Orleans. 

Alpha  Millyard  now  desired  to  take  breath,  ascertain  where 
he  stood  and  see  what  he  could  do,  so  he  went  home. 


Plans  for  the  Future.  277 


CHAPTER  XLVI. 

PLANS   FOR   THE   FUTURE. 

Alpha  Millyard  received  part  of  his  enormous  payment  in 
bonds  and  stocks  of  the  most  prominent  corporations  in  America, 
including  some  Southern  railways,  the  future  possibilities  of 
which,  if  properly  managed,  he  was  fully  aware.  Of  the  stocks 
he  took  none  but  those  in  which  he  acquired  large  blocks  and  at 
valuations  shading  under  the  quoted  market  price.  This  he  main- 
tained in  making  the  deal  or  required  the  cash.  This  was  all  ar- 
ranged while  he  was  in  Europe.  He  already  had  an  inventory 
of  what  he  was  to  receive. 

Madame  Millyard  was  delighted  with  her  husband's  transac- 
tions. Her  dear  old  mother,  seated  in  the  plush-cushioned  chair 
shaking  her  pointing  finger,  said  : 

"  Rittea,  you  have  the  smartest  man  in  the  world  for  a  hus- 
band." 

'  Thanks,  my  dear  mother-in-law,"  he  interposed.  "  I  am 
glad,  proud,  to  have  such  good  opinion  expressed  of  me  by  you. 
I  have  some  friends  who  have  led  me  into  the  way  of  all  this 
good  fortune,  one  especially,  Mr.  Galen  Dalgal.  I  desire  to  have 
him  and  his  family  make  us  a  visit." 

'When  will  they  come,  dear  Alpha?"  asked  Mrs.  Millyard, 
who  had  just  come  in  the  room. 

"  I  do  not  know,  my  dear  Rittea,  but  some  time  soon,  I  hope," 
he  replied.  "  I  want  us  both,  to  show  them  that  we  appreciate 
the  good  turn.  Though,  I  must  admit,  it  was  by  no  desire  on  his 
part,  but  just  happened  so.  He  is  a  great  dreamer,  a  dreamo- 
maniac,  as  they  call  him.  He  dreams  a  thing  has  happened  and 
eventually  it  turns  out  that  way.  He  dreamed  I  was  going  to  sell 
the  mines,  give  the  names  of  the  parties,  else  I  may  not  have 
thought  of  them,  probably,  or  seriously  considered  the  matter  of 
selling. 


278  The  Lady  of  New  Orleans. 

"  He  is  a  splendid  lawyer  and  will  attend  to  my  legal  business. 
I  must  needs  have  a  lawyer  so  I  will  not  get  caught  in  subsequent 
legal  complications.  You  understand,  of  course,  I  will  have  to 
investigate  the  legal  aspects  in  every  case  before  I  make  an  in- 
vestment. It  will  not  be  good  policy  for  me  to  be  taking  lawyers 
here  and  there  and  any  kind  and  letting  them  know  about  my 
private  affairs." 

"  O,  yes,  I  am  quite  sure  that  will  be  the  best  plan.  Then  you 
pay  him  by  the  year  and  have  his  services  whenever  necessary," 
said  Mrs.  Millyara.  "  B  t  could  you  not  get  a  suitable  lawyer 
here  in  New  Orleans?" 

He  had  argued  tow  ird  this  very  question.  He  had  an  intui- 
tion it  was  coming.     He  replied : 

"  They  practise  under  a  different  system  in  this  State  from  that 
of  the  other  States,  my  dear.  Besides,  I  already  had  Mr.  Dalgal 
at  the  mines  and  he  had  became  somewhat  familiar  with  my  af- 
fairs. In  view  of  that  I  thought  it  would  be  best  to  keep  him." 
He  evidently  discerned  something  sinister  in  her  question. 

The  treasure  Millyard  had  must  be  taken  to  the  bank ;  the  se- 
curities were  contained  in  a  strong,  well-locked  leather  valise  and 
of  great  weight.  Millyard  had  arrived  early  in  the  morning  long 
before  the  hour  for  opening  the  bank  for  business.  Louis  was 
requisitioned  to  attend  him  and  the  carriage  was  ordered  out. 
Singular  as  it  may  seem,  Millyard  had  sent  it  by  express  a  day  in 
advance  of  himself  and  inadvertantly  had  addressed  it  to  his  res- 
idence instead  of  to  the  bank. 

Mr.  Millyard  was  at  his  bank  by  ten  o'clock  and  was  warmly 
greeted  by  President  Delarue  and  all  the  gentlemen  connected 
with  it. 

''So  you  have  sold  your  bonanza?"  pleasantly  remarked 
Delarue. 

"Sold?  Yes,  Mike,  sold;  and  got  the  wherewith,  which  was 
my  price,  and  a  bonanza  it  is,  too.  Louis  has  it  in  the  trunk,  at 
least  part  of  it — the  balance  is  in  New  York  and  the  U.  S.  treas- 
urv.  I  want  to  make  a  deposit  on  the  same  conditions  as 
before." 

Delarue  called  the  cashier  and  individual  bookkeeper  and  they 
came  to  his  room.  The  trunk,  as  Millyard  called  it.  was  opened 
and  the  men  set  to  work  on  the  task  of  calling  off  the  amounts, 
placing  them  on  paper  and  then  adding  them  with  a  will  and 
vim. 


Plans  for  the  Future.  279 

Two  hours  later  Alpha  Millyard's  bank  account  was  credited 
with  one  hundred  and  thirteen  million  eight  hundred  and  seventy- 
four  thousand  and  nine  hundred  and  sixty-five  dollars  and  forty- 
four  cents.  This  was  to  be  augmented  by  the  amount  received 
as  premium  on  the  domestic  as  well  as  foreign  exchange. 

Mr.  Millyard  had  twenty  million  dollars  in  French  securities, 
which  he  placed  in  his  .private  vault.  He  was  quite  as  familiar 
with  the  actual  value  of  French  securities  as  he  was  at  that  time 
with  the  bonds  and  stocks  of  United  States  corporations. 

Visiting  the  steamship  company's  offices  and  going  the  rounds 
of  the  offices  of  those  corporations  in  which  he  was  interested 
Millyard  returned  to  the  bank,  and  at  lunchtime  the  semi-billion- 
aire and  his  bank  president  repaired  to  Johnnie's  cafe. 

"  Mike,"  said.  Millyard,  when  they  were  seated  at  a  table  in 
Johnnie's,  "  did  you  ever  note  that  as  a  rule  only  about  one-half 
the  men  start  out  in  life  with  ambition,  an  aim  ?  And  that  of  this 
class  nine-tenths  of  them  miss  the  mark  of  their  ambition?  And 
of  these,  one-tenth,  drifting  into  other  channels  by  accident  or 
sometimes  by  design,  achieve  success  ?  " 

Mr.  Delarue  twisted  himself  round  sideways  to  the  table  and, 
pulling  the  doily  through  his  hands  and  looking  thoughtfully, 
replied : 

"  I  cannot  say  that  I  have.  But  I  do  not  quite  understand  your 
proposition." 

"  Well,  for  instance,"  began  Millyard  in  explanation,  "  I  had 
ambition,  and  I  have  it  yet,  but  in  another  direction.  I  started 
out  in  life  with  the  idea  that  I  would  be  a  big  lawyer  and  be- 
come a  great  statesman,  probably  President.  I  can  remember 
trudging  along  the  streets  looking  at  the  big  houses,  the  clear  blue 
sky,  the  passing  people,  then  furtively  glancing  across  the  street 
at  a  big  bill-board  I  would  see  the  flaming  poster  announcing 
some  grand  theatrical  performance  by  some  renowned  tragedian. 
Then  the  thought  struck  me  that  I  ought  to  run  for  Congress  and 
take  that  as  a  sort  of  stepping-stone  to  becoming  a  statesman  and 
probably  President.  Day  by  day,  month  after  month,  that  great 
ambition  had  possession  of  my  soul.  I  thought  by  it  I  could  be- 
come a  man  of  renown,  a  great  man.  It  haunted  me,  was  a 
mania.  I  could  not  escape  the  illusion.  I  did  not  care  for  any 
office  inferior  to  congressman.  That  idea  never  entered  my 
head.  I  was  above  it.  I  could  not  stoop  to  less  than  being  a 
congressman. 


2 So  The  Lady  of  New  Orleans. 

"  I  drifted  about  practising  law,  but  did  not  seem  to  succeed  as 
T  wished.  Then  I  come  to  New  Orleans.  I  see  now  that  drift- 
ing", though  involuntarily,  into  literature  interfered  with  my  law 
and  also  brought  about  my  troubles.  But  they  brought  about  my 
marriage  and  achievements  in  business  and  extraordinary  success 
in  acquiring  wealth.  Now,  I  would  no  more  be  a  congressman 
than  I  would  be  a  boot-black.  I  had  rather  be  the  author  of 
'  Beautiful  Snow.'  Congressmen  are  worth  only  just  whatever 
price  the  lobbyists  place  upon  them,  and  they  encourage  the  lobby- 
ist in  his  business.  As  for  being  President,  I  have  no  time  to  di- 
vert mv  mind  from  other  things  to  it.  I  would  not  be  President 
if  I  could." 

"  I  catch  your  idea  now,"  said  Mr.  Delarue.  "  Who  would 
ever  thought  about  my  being  a  bank  president  while  I  was  yet  a 
detective?  'And  especially,  as  I  was  when  you  first  met  me? 
There  is  no  key  to  success  until  after  success  is  achieved." 

"  If  you  are  educated  you  are  not  satisfied,"  continued  Mill- 
yard.  "  It  strikes  me  that  the  more  educated  a  man  the  more  re- 
sponsibility there  is  upon  him.  I  mean  by  that  not  only  his  re- 
sponsibility to  his  fellow  man,  but  to  his  God.  I  am  about  to  ac- 
knowledge that  I  have  received  and  am  now  responsible  for 
more  than  I  can  bear  or  stand  up  under.  Look  at  old  man  Sol- 
omon, said  to  have  been  the  wisest  and  richest  man  in  the  world, 
excelling  in  travail  the  lamentations  of  good  old  Jeremiah  ;  whin- 
ing and  whimpering  about  every  folly  in  the  catalogue  of  follies 
instead  of  doing  good  among  his  present  fellow  men.  And  I, 
in  his  footsteps  as  far  as  riches  are  concerned,  am  already  weary 
of  riches.     Are  not  you  ?  " 

"  Well,  Alpha,  to  tell  you  the  truth,  I  do  not  fully  understand 
why  I  am  trying  to  pile  up  riches,"  Mike  earnestly  replied. 
"  Suppose  I  die  and  leave  it  all  to  my  wife  and  son  and  little 
daughter?  That  is  all  I  can  do.  Then  what  comes  about? 
The  legacy  that  would  be  left  to  me  and  my  name  would  be  com- 
passed ;  only  a  brief  epitaph  on  a  polished  piece  of  marble.  All 
that  I  care  for  is  that  my  children  shall  not  be  left  clouded  by  the 
icicled  atmosphere  of  uncertain  charity  and  beggarly  penury." 

"Mike,  my  dear  boy,  you  impress  me  seriously,"  said  Mill- 
yard  when  Mike  had  concluded  his  dissertation.  '  I  am  but 
human.  The  bouquet  of  your  argument  has  an  aromatic  odor 
that  twinges  the  intellectual  olfactories.  It  is  upasistic.  But 
I  am  sure  you  do  not  mean  to  be  wholly  so  much  that  way. 


Plans  for  the  Future.  281 

Therefore  I  suggest  that  you  mollify  your  views.  Phrase  your  re- 
marks in  line  with  your  idea." 

Later  Millyard  arranged  by  telegraph  with  Mr.  Dalgal  and 
Prof.  Wortman  to  meet  him  in  New  York  city. 

While  in  New  York  Mr.  Millyard,  having  a  majority  of  the 
bonds  of  several  leading  railways  in  the  United  States,  was 
easily  led  into  the  idea  of  consolidating  some  of  them. 

The  three  gentlemen  seated  in  Mr.  Millyard's  room  in  the 
Fifth  Avenue  hotel  one  night  after  a  day's  tedious  business  oper- 
ations down  town,  Millyard  said : 

"  Galen,  I  have  arranged  with  two  of  the  leading  brokerage 
firms  in  New  York  to  do  some  trading  for  me.  It  is  my  inten- 
tion to  own  out-right  one  trunk  line  railway  to  the  South.  I 
want  to  double-track  the  line  and  reduce  the  passenger  fare  to 
one  cent  a  mile.  This  rate  would  be  in  keeping  with  a  five-cent 
fare  on  street  railways.  The  net  cost  for  hauling  with  reason- 
able travel  is  not  more  than  one-fourth  of  a  mill  per  mile.  That 
rate  would  induce  increased  travel,  thus  increasing  the  money 
receipts  and  encouraging  the  building  up  of  the  waste  places. 
P'eople  will  ride  who  never  rode  before.  It  will  populate  the 
country  so  vastly  that  in  twenty-five  years  where  stations  are  to- 
day will  be  cities.  In  this  country  a  man  cannot  do  a  better  piece 
of  business  where  he  has  a  seeming  or  actual  monopoly  than  to 
set  up  a  shop  in  opposition  to  himself  and  place  some  other  man 
in  charge,  then  see  which  can  do  the  best  business.  Competition 
will  draw  trade  and  people  will  be  induced  to  buy  who  never 
bought  before." 

In  a  few  days  Millyard  bought  all  the  stocks  he  desired  of  cer- 
tain railways.  Meantime  Prof.  Wortman  had  arranged  about 
his  money  affairs.  Then  they  went  to  Boston  and  remained 
nearly  a  week. 

Becoming  weary,  and  showing  signs  of  it,  Millyard  decided  to 
return  home. 

When  they  got  back  to  New  York  from  Boston,  Millyard  pur- 
chased a  second-hand  buffet  sleeping  coach  and  had  it  fully 
stocked  with  all  necessaries ;  at  the  same  time  announcing  to  his 
friends  that  he  proposed  to  have  Pullman  build  him  a  luxurious 
sleeping  coach  according  to  his  own  plans. 

At  length  homeward  the  party  started  in  Mr.  Millyard's  own 
private  coach.  After  an  absence  of  three  weeks  he  arrived  back 
in  New  Orleans. 


282  The  Lady  of  New  Orleans. 


CHAPTER   XLVII. 

BLOWING    ROCK    ON    GRANDFATHER    MOUNTAIN. 

Mr.  Millyard  was  now  a  very  busy  man.  Business  cares 
were  increasing  every  day.  Being  a  man  of  broad  ideas  he  was 
a  skillful  executive,  quick  and  shrewd ;  discerning  at  a  glance  the 
capabilities  of  a  man  he  could  immediately  locate  him  in  his 
sphere  of  usefulness. 

Thus  from  the  very  beginning  he  planned  his  every  enterprise 
in  such  manner  and  way  that  it  was  systematized  at  once.  Or- 
ders and  reports  were  given  and  received  only  through  one  man 
beside  himself,  and  that  man  was  Mr.  Mike  Delarue.  whom  he 
drew  into  his  confidential  management  as  far  as  bank  duties 
would  admit. 

By  appointment  Dalgal  met  Millyard  in  Chicago,  whither  he 
went  to  attend  a  meeting  of  railway  directors.  Besides  making 
several  large  investments  in  Chicago  Millyard  arranged  with  the 
Pullman  Palace  Car  Company  to  build  him  a  palace  traveling 
and  sleeping  coach. 

"  I  am  of  the  opinion  that  you  would  build  a  log  castle  on 
Grandfather  Mountain,"  said  Dalgal  in  a  moment  of  abstraction 
when  they  had  left  Chicago  on  their  way  South,  "  of  which  I 
was  speaking  to  you  the  other  day,  if  you  will  only  go  with  me 
and  take  a  trip  across  there." 

"  Galen,  I  do  not  remember  your  speaking  to  me  about  it,  but 
I  want  to  keep  from  business  awhile  anyway,  so  when  I  return 
to  New  Orleans,  if  the  Madame  will  go  with  me,  I  will  go  and 
bring  her  and  the  children.  Then  your  wife  and  children  can 
go  and  the  trip  will  be  more  agreeable  and  pleasant  all  round; 
we  can  then  take  our  time.  Your  dreaming  about  it  suggests  it 
may  be  a  good  idea." 

Two  weeks  later  at  two  in  the  afternoon  by  the  clock  Mill- 
yard  and  Dalgal,  with  their  families,  were  in  surries  rolling  west 


Blowing  Rock  on  Grandfather  Mountain.      283 

out  from  Lenoir  bound  for  Blowing  Rock,  twenty  miles  distant 
up  the  mountain,  four  thousand  and  ninety  feet  above  the  sea 
level. 

From  Hickory,  twenty  miles  east,  they  had  gone  to  Lenoir  at 
noon  on  the  narrow  gauge  railroad.  The  coachmen  and  other 
drivers  had  driven  the  teams  through  from  Hickory  the  evening 
before. 

Blowing  Rock,  which  is  on  the  mountain  ten  or  twelve  miles 
from  Grandfather  Mountain  proper,  is  a  sort  of  summer  resort. 
During  the  hot  summer  months  hundreds  of  visitors  from  all 
•portions  of  the  United  States  visit  there,  especially  people  from 
New  Orleans.  Blowing  Rock  and  Hickory  are  New  Orleans 
summer  resorts.  Hickory  is  also  somewhat  of  a  winter  resort  for 
people  of  the  North,  particularly  of  New  Hampshire,  Massa- 
chusetts and  Michigan. 

The  party  stopped  over  at  Blowing  Rock  a  couple  of  days,  dur- 
ing which  time  Mr.  Millyard  made  himself  quite  assiduous  in  his 
attentions  to  Mrs.  Dalgal.  But  Mr.  Dalgal  was  equally  so  tow- 
ards Mrs.  Millyard,  or  as  much  so  as  was  his  nature  to  be. 

In  the  afternoon  after  their  arrival  the  party  walked  out  on  the 
brow  of  the  almost  perpendicular  rock-walled  mountain  where, 
toward  the  south,  they  could  look  down  nearly  twelve  hundred 
feet.  The  meandering  Johns  River,  seeming  to  suddenly  emerge 
from  the  rock  cliff  directly  underneath  them,  wanders  off  zig- 
zagging southeast  between  t»he  lower  mountains  toward  the 
charming  Catawba  River. 

A  cooling  mist  of  rain,  or  heavy  rainlike  fog  came  sweeping  over 
the  mountain  from  the  north-northwest.  Soon  thereafter  a  ter- 
rific storm,  with  thunder  roaring  and  lightning  flashing,  spread 
itself  below  them  over  the  broad  expanse  of  mountains  and  val- 
leys. Over  it  all  they  could  see  South  mountains  and  the  clear 
horizon  beyond. 

The  storm  swept  on  and  soon  passed  from  view  in  the  distance 
to  the  southeast.  The  atmosphere  became  clear  and  cool.  Night 
came  on.  The  party  were  still  contemplating  the  beautiful.  With 
field-glasses  they  saw  the  lights  as  they  twinkled  into  view  at 
Morganton,  twenty  odd  miles  away,  slightly  to  the  southwest. 
They  also  saw  the  lights  of  Hickory,  nearly  forty  miles  to  the 
east-southeast. 

'  This  is  wonderful,  Madame  Dalgal,"  exclaimed  Millyard. 
"  But  I  suppose  you  have  seen  it  many  times  before  ?  " 


284  The  Lady  of  New  Orleans. 

•"  No,"  she  replied,  "  this  is  the  first  time  I  was  ever  at  Blow- 
ing Rock,  although  I  have  lived  so  near  it." 

'  I  suppose  you  have  not  availed  yourself  of  the  opportunity 
because  being  so  near  you  consoled  yourself  with  the  reflection 
that  vou  could  visit  here  at  any  time  you  desired?"  remarked 
Millyard. 

'  1  have  frequently  thought  of  coming  here  and  several  times 
have  had  the  opportunity  of  coming  with  friends,  but  something 
would  transpire  to  prevent  me.  My  anxiety  to  come  would  be 
consoled,  as  you  say,  by  the  reflection  that  I  could  go  the  next 
time.  In  this  way  the  real  opportunity  did  not  present  itself  until 
now.  I  suppose  I  would  not  have  come  this  time  only  you  and 
the  others  were  coming."  Quickly  she  added,  "and  the  others." 

'  That  is  very  nicely  said,"  retorted  Millyard,  archly.  "  I  am 
very  glad  I, — and  the  others, — have  been  instrumental  in  causing 
you  to  visit  this  charming  place  where  nature  is  so  lavishly  grand 
and  weird.  I  had  not  reflected  that  you  could  be  influenced  bv 
me." 

Pointing  to  her  breast-pin  of  Hiddenite  gems,  Mrs.  Dalgal  re- 
plied: 

'You  do  not  think  I  have  forgotten  who  presented  me  this?" 

"Why,  did  not  Mr.  Dalgal  present  you  one?  "  asked  Millyard, 
curiously. 

"  He  never  thought  about  it,  I  suppose,"  she  replied.  "  Mr. 
Dalgal  can  give  me  one  at  any  time,  but  I  feel  sure  it  would  not 
be  so  costly.  However,  coming  from  you,  it  is  appreciated  on  ac- 
count of  old  times." 

"  You  have  a  remembrance  of  old  times,  then  ?  That  is  very 
charming  for  me  to  hear  you  say.  Not  with  any  regrets,  I 
hope  ?  "    The  latter  remark  was  quite  peculiar  in  its  nature. 

:  Yes,  sometimes  it  seems  to  me  that  the  past  is  a  dream,"  she 
said.  '  It  is  a  teaching  of  our  Christian  religion  that  we  are  to 
work  out  our  salvation  and  that  our  lives  here  as  well  as  hereafter 
are  what  we  make  them,  but  I  do  not  see  how  I  could  have  al- 
tered mine."    She  bowed  her  head. 

"  I  am  sorry  if  you  ever  have  grief- " 

"  I  must  go  to  the  hotel,  Alpha ;  the  air  is  too  cnr.l,''  interrupted 
Mrs.  Millyard,  as  she  with  Mr.  Dalgal  and  the  children,  with  their 
nurses,  quickly  advanced  to  where  Mrs.  Dalgal  and  Mr.  Millyard 
were  standing. 


Blowing  Rock  on  Grandfather  Mountain.      285 

"  Yes,  we  had  better  return  to  the  hotel,"  said  Mr.  Millyard. 
"  Madame  Dalgal  is  fatigued  and  chilled." 

It  should  have  been  stated  that  the  party  were  traveling  with 
three  surries  and  two  'ambulance  wagons.  The  latter  were  in 
charge  of  Louis.  Mrs.  Millyard's  maid  and  servant-girl,  with  De 
Ampbert,  the  little  boy,  occupied  the  third  surrey.  Mittie,  their 
little  girl,  had  been  left  at  home  with  her  grandmother. 

Mr.  Millyard  purchased  three  hundred  acres  of  land  about  five 
miles  from  the  village  on  the  mountain  with  the  name  so  unique, 
which  included  one  of  the  most  beautiful  sites  for  a  log  castle  in 
that  whole  section. 

When  preparing  to  leave  Blowing-  Rock  it  so  happened  that  Mr. 
Dalgal  escorted  Mrs.  Millyard  to  her  vehicle  and  assisted  her  to 
get  inside.  Mr.  Millyard  thereupon,  no  doubt  thinking  Mr.  Dal- 
gal intended  to  ride  with  her,  got  in  the  surrey  with  Mrs.  Dalgal. 
Thus  they  rode  the  remainder  of  the  day. 

After  leaving  Blowing  Rock  one  word  brought  on  another,  as 
the  witnesses  say  in  the  police  courts.  Desultory  discussion 
brought  about  a  digression  in  their  journey,  for  it  so  happened  that 
a  gentleman  whom  they  met  on  being  accosted  by  Mr.  Millyard, 
so  far  enthused  him  with  a  unique  description  of  a  picturesque 
section  of  country  called  Rock  Creek,  which,  the  man  explained, 
was  only  a  short  distance  out  of  their  route,  that  Mr.  Millyard 
decided  and  the  others  acquiesced  in  the  proposal  to  visit  this 
wonderful  Rock  Creek  section.  Only  Mr.  Dalgal  objected  with- 
out objecting.  He  seemed  to  be  a  phonetic  imbiber  and  decipherer 
of  future  events,  which  he  translated  at  his  leisure  for  his  own 
special  behoof.     He  never  told  his  companions  what  was  coming. 

Turning  into  the  road  designated  by  the  passing  stranger  our 
party  arrived  at  a  place  which  they  gruesomely  learned  to  be  "  the 
dead  line." 

It  was  demonstrated  to  them  in  a  manner  very  peculiar  that 
there  is  or  was  such  a  place  as  "  the  dead  line,"  especially  a  "  dead 
line  "  over  which  a  negro  cannot  pass  without  a  practical  demon- 
stration of  the  fact,  a  section  of  country  in  this  glorious  land  of 
liberty  from  which  a  negro  is  effectually  barred,  shut  out,  on  which 
he  cannot  enter,  law  or  no  law  to  the  contrary. 

Immersed,  as  it  were,  even  to  a  surfeit,  in  the  sublime  scenery, 
our  party  were  almost  oblivious  to  all  things  else  save  enchant- 
ment over  the  wide,  the  unbounded  prospect  mapped  out  before 
their  eyes. 


286  The  Lad)'  of  New  Orleans. 

Suddenly  they  were  confronted  on  the  highway  by  three  ordi- 
nary-looking mountaineer  farmers  and  were  ordered  to  halt.  One 
of  the  three  stalwart  mountain  men  propounded  the  question  as  to 
whether  it  was  intentional  and  premeditated  that  they  were  at- 
tempting to  take  negroes  across  the  dead-line — take  them  into  the 
forbidden  land  ? — the  land  where  no  negro,  male  or  female,  or 
any  person  with  a  trace  of  negro  blood  in  their  veins,  were  al- 
lowed to  enter  ? 

Air.  Millyard  and  Air.  Dalgal  protested  their  ignorance  of  any 
such  law,  custom  or  regulation  of  society  in  that  section  or  direc- 
tion. They  saw  no  line  and  knew  of  none  dead  or  alive,  so  they 
remarked. 

Meantime  one  of  the  three  dead-line  sentry  ordered  one  of  the 
negro  drivers  to  dismount  from  the  vhicle  he  was  conducting. 
The  negro,  obeying,  was  then  made  to  unbutton  his  coat  and  vest 
and  pull  up  his  shirt,  thus  exposing  his  abdomen.  The  amiable 
but  very  tantalizing  six-foot  dead-line  guard  produced  a  large 
keen-edged  knife,  which  he  tested  upon  a  hair  from  his  own 
shock,  to  show  that  it  was  sharp.  Then  with  the  back,  which  the 
negro  thought  was  the  edge  of  the  blade,  he  dexterously  and 
quickly  diabolically  described  two  symmetrical  Hogarthian  curves 
in  reverse  order,  the  one  above  the  other,  upon  the  shivering 
negro's  bare  stomach,  which  was  evidently  intended  to  be  symbolic 
of  disemboweling  him. 

That  negro  and  the  other  negroes  of  the  party  were  then  com- 
manded to  leave  there,  and  do  it  quick,  and  to  never  return  and  try 
to  pass  across  the  dead-line  again ;  if  they  did  the  edge  of  the  knife 
blade  would  be  turned. 

The  negro  took  it  well  as  long  as  it  lasted,  but  now  he  was 
simply  frightened  out  of  his  wits ;  so  were  the  others ;  also  the 
white  persons — nearly. 

The  summary  proceeding  dispelled  all  desire  on  the  part  of  our 
party  to  proceed  any  further  in  that  direction.  They  parleyed  not 
nor  dallied ;  they  retreated.  There  was  absence  of  ceremony  in  so 
doing. 

This  was  in  Mitchell  County,  a  solid,  substantial  republican- 
party  county.  This  is  probably  the  only  spot  or  section  of  terri- 
tory in  these  United  States  where  a  negro  or  mulatto  is  prohibited 
and  not  privileged  to  enter  under  any  conditions. 

Mr.  Millyard  was  indignant.  But  what  did  that  amount  to? 
Why  waste  life's  vitality  on  indignity  ?    A  hundred  or  more  sturdy 


Blowing  Rork  on  Grandfather  Mountain.       287 

mountaineers  stood  ready,  yea,  willing',  waiting  and  anxious,  to 
enforce  vi  ct  armis  the  decrees  and  will  of  the  people  of  their  ex- 
clusive white  man's  territory. 

It  is  a  lesson  as  broad  as  the  continent,  of  as  much  scope  as 
the  Stars  and  Stripes  floating  in  its  entire  comprehension  and 
range  of  possibilities. 

Madame  Millyard  began  evincing  symptoms  of  weariness ;  vi- 
vaciousness  had  disappeared  from  her  actions  and  speech.  The 
two  men,  having  put  their  heads  together,  decided  to  hurry 
through  the  trip.  Although  she  made  no  complaint,  Mr.  Millyard 
had  become  apprehensive  that  his  wife  was  ill  and  was  trying  to 
conceal  the  facts  from  him.  There  was  no  suspicion  on  his  part, 
not  the  least,  that  his  attentions  to  his  former  affianced  was  rank- 
ling in  the  heart  of  Madame  Millyard. 


288  The  Lady  of  New  Orleans. 


CHAPTER  XLVIII. 

THE   LADY   OF    NEW   ORLEANS. 

"  My  dear  Rittea,  I  am  afraid  there  is  something  serious  the 
matter  with  you  ;  what  can  it  be  ?  Please  tell  me ;  I  am  distressed 
about  you." 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Millyard  had  been  at  home  several  days  when  he 
addressed  these  remarks  to  her.  Noticing  the  despondency  of  his 
wife,  he  was  himself  morcse  and  languidly  indifferent  to  passing 
events,  save  her.  Man  and  wife  who  do  have  affinity  for  each 
other  have  the  same  moods  and  feelings  co-existent.  Mrs.  Mill- 
yard  kindly  replied : 

"  I  did  not  know  there  was  anything  the  matter  with  me,  Alpha 
dear.  You  are  aware,  however,  that  mv  poor  old  mother  is  very 
frail  and  fast  giving  way  in  all  but  her  mind.  I  do  not  see  how  I 
could  bear  up  under  the  loss  were  she  to  leave  us.  She  has  had 
extra  care,  for  her,  in  the  charge  of  our  little  daughter  during 
our  absence." 

"  I  am  sorry  we  did  not  take  Mittie  with  us ;  your  good  mother 
insisted,  as  you  know,  and  would  have  her.  But  your  mother  is 
good  for  many  years  yet,  my  dear.  I  am  afraid  there  is  some- 
thing other  than  that  which  is  disturbing  your  peace  of  mind. 
May  I  know  what  it  is?  If  I  can  do  anything  to  release  you  from 
grief  I  will  surely  do  it." 

"  There  is  nothing,  dear  Alpha,  you  can  do  that  will  bring  me 
surcease  of  sorrow.  I  have  not  had  one  moment's  peace  of  mind 
from  a  whirl  of  dreadful  apparitions  since  that  fearful  night  in 
New  York." 

"  Now,  there,  dear  Rittea !  "  exclaimed  Millyard,  as  he  cast  his 
left  arm  round  her  neck,  chuckling  her  under  the  chin  with  his 
right  hand  and  kissing  her.  "  I  have  hoped  that  you  would  not 
ever  again  think  of  that  incident.  As  I  remember,  you  promised 
me  you  would  not.    I  seldom  think  of  it  or  anything  in  connection 


The  Lady  of  New  Orleans.  289 

with  it.  But  if  you  continue  to  brood  over  it  there  is  little  chance 
left  for  me  to  keep  it  banished  from  my  mind." 

"  Alpha,  there  is  some  strange,  weird  feeling  continually  steal- 
ing through  my  brain,  tingling  every  nerve  and  arousing  sensa- 
tions that  portend  an  adverse  feeling  on  your  part.  For  instance, 
in  thinking  last  night  of  my  dear  mother  I  wondered  to  myself 
that  should  she  die  would  you  attend  her  funeral  ?  You  would  not 
wish  people  to  see  you  in  attendance  at  her  funeral  ?  "  She  said 
this  deprecatingly,  almost  sneeringly. 

"  Good  heavens  !  "  exclaimed  Alpha.  "  Why  not,  dear?  I  have 
not  thought  of  it,  but  I  would  not  desire  to  attend  uer  funeral  for 
the  good  reason  that  I  do  not  desire  her  to  die.  I  prefer  that  she 
live,  live  for  your  sake,  if  for  no  other  good  reason.  But,  should 
that  calamity  befall  us,  that  your  sweet,  gentle  mother  were  to 
die,  I  would  be  deeply  grieved  and,  sorrowing,  I  would  attend  her 
remains  to  their  final  resting  place ;  I  would  grieve  to  see  you 
grieve. 

"  I  will  be  pleased  if  you  will  kindly  frankly  inform  me  why  you 
have  such  strange,  gloomy  thoughts  ?  " 

'  You  do  not'  seem  to  be  as  partial  to  me  since  that  affair  in 
New  York  as  you  were  orevious  to  that  time,"  she  said. 

"  Sweetie,  that  is  all  your  own  imagination.  You  are  conjuring 
those  visions.  You  think  upon  them  so  intensely  that  you  really 
begin  to  believe  them.  Banish  them  from  your  mind.  There  is 
not  a  scintilla  of  foundation  for  them.  I  love  you  more  than  I 
ever  did.  No  husband  adores  his  wife  more  than  I  do  you, 
Sweetie." 

"  That  is  the  way  I  like  so  much  to  hear  you  talk.  It  gives  me 
courage,  assurance.  But,  dear  Alpha,  you  know  you  were  very 
attentive  to  Mrs.  Dalgal?" 

"  Well,  now,  dear  Rittea,  that  was  for  your  sake  and  to  con- 
form to  the  social  amenities  of  the  occasion.  I  did  not  know  Mr. 
Dalgal  would  be  dull,  uninteresting  and  not  a  brilliant  gallant  for 
a  lady,  for  he  is  a  brilliant  lawyer,  if  he  is  a  country  lawyer.  If 
you  think  that  way  about  it,  dear,  I  wish  I  had  not  sent  our  Pull- 
man after  them  to  come  down  here.  I  can  telegraph  and  have  it 
returned." 

"  O,  no,  no !  Not  now !  You  have  explained  it  satisfactorily. 
Of  course  it  was  your  duty  to  be  pleasant  to  Mrs.  Dalgal  and  not 
because  she  was  your  old  lover." 

"  No,  indeed,"  laughed  Alpha.     "  I  never  thought  of  that.     It 

T9 


290  The  Lady  of  New  Orleans. 

would  have  been  my  duty  to  have  been  the  same  towards  any  other 
lady  under  similar  circumstances.  Unlike  some  other  men,  my 
dear,"  he  continued,  pressing  his  wife  to  his  breast,  "  I  am  glad  to 
see  and  know  that  you  are  somewhat  jea'.ous.  It  shows  your  love 
and  devotion  for  me,  and  will  make  me  more  careful  in  the  future. 
Xow  when  they  visit  us  it  will  be  your  social  duty  to  look  after 
the  pleasure  of  Mrs.  Dalgal  and  mine  to  look  after  Mr.  Dalgal. 
But  he  and  I  will  be  engaged  in  busines  Thev  will  remain  only 
three  or  four  days.  I  must  go  to  New  York  in  a  few  days  and  Mr. 
Dalgal  must  accompany  me." 

Next  morning  as  Alpha  started  out  in  town  he  remarked  to  his 
wife : 

"  My  dear,  I  am  to  take  lunch  with  Mr.  Delarue  to-day.  I  trust 
our  mother  will  be  better  when  I  return.  By  the  way,  is  the  doc- 
tor coming  this  morning  ?  "  A  doctor  had  been  attending 
Madame  de  Ampbert  during  several  days  past. 

"  I  think  so,"  she  replied.  "  If  he  does  not  I  shall  send  for 
him." 

"  That  is  right,"  returned  Aloha.  "  If  she  becomes  any  worse 
send  for  me  up  to  the  bank  at  once." 

"  Mike,"  said  Alpha,  while  they  were  at  lunch,  "  I  never  knew 
until  yesterday  that  my  wife  is  jealous  of  me.  I  discovered  that 
she  was  grieving  about  something,  has  been  since  we  were  in  the 
North  Carolina  mountains,  so  I  questioned  her  closely  concerning 
it,  and  at  first  she  tried  to  throw  me  off  the  track  by  claiming  to 
be  brooding  about  her  mother's  illness.  Then  she  said  she  had 
been  thinking  were  her  mother  to  die  would  I  attend  her  funeral, 
whether  I  would  wish  neople  to  see  me  in  attendance  at  her  moth- 
er's funeral.  She  even  asserted  that  she  had  not  passed  one  mo- 
ment's peace  of  mind  since  that  episode  in  New  York.  And  at  last 
she  charged  me  with  being  attentive  to  Mrs.  Dalgal  during  our 
mountain  trip.  I  assured  her  that  was  my  social  duty  and  no  more 
and  her  cheerfulness  returned.  But,  I  will  tell  you,  Mike,  that  dark 
spot  will  forever  be  a  horrible  torture  to  the  mind  of  that  dear, 
sweet  woman.  Just  think  of  it !  Had  she  remained  in  ignorance 
of  any  knowledge  on  my  part  that  her  mother  is  an  octoroon  she 
would  never  have  experienced  any  grief  about  it.  She  has 
brooded  over  the  thought  that  possibly  I  do  not  love  her  or  care  so 
much  for  her  ever  since  the  public  revelation  about  her  mater- 
nity. This  has  caused  her  to  be  suspicious  and  watchful,  there- 
fore quick  to  detect  even  slight  attentions  of  mine  to  other  ladies. 


The  Lady  of  New  Orleans.  201 

I  see  this  now.  Hence,  I  am  very  greatly  embarrassed.  But  I 
must  abstain,  absolutely  refrain,  from  giving  her  the  least  founda- 
tion for  any  pangs  whatsoever. 

"  It  knocks  me  completely  out  of  society.  My  lawyer,  Mr. 
Dalgal,  accompanied  by  his  wife,  my  old  sweetheart,  will  be  here 
on  a  visit  to  us  to-morrow  or  next  day.  It  will  be  necessary  for 
me  to  refrain  from  any  other  attentions  than  bare  civility  to  Mrs. 
Dalgal.  As  my  wife's  mother  is  sick  and  not  expected  to  live,  die 
is  with  her  constantly.  So  I  wish  you  would  do  me  the  favor  to 
get  your  wife  to  call  as  soon  as  they  arrive  and  during  her  stay 
show  Mrs.  Dalgal  all  the  courtesies  possible." 

"  I  will  arrange  that,  Alpha,"  replied  Mike.  "  I  did  not  know 
that  your  mother-in-law  is  sick." 

"  Rittea  has  been  very  reticent  in  letting-  me  know  about  it," 
said  Alpha.  "  She  has  always  been  very  diffident  in  speaking  to 
me  about  her  mother.  It  seems  that  she  is  apprehensive  about 
something  and  does  not  want  me  to  know  much  about  her  mother, 
or,  rather,  as  little  as  possible.  I  have  arrived  at  the  conclusion 
that  she  is  pining  and  fretting  herself  to  death  at  a  very  rapid 
gait,  and  all  because  of  the  taint  in  her  mother's  blood.  She  has 
presentiments  of  what  people  say  about  it.  I  have  endeavored 
every  way  to  allay  her  erroneous,  or  at  least,  absolutely  unneces- 
sary suspicions  about  what  is  unalterable.  I  care  nothing  for  so- 
ciety, only  as  far  as  fashion  goes,  but  my  wife  is  ambitious  and 
high-minded.  This  taint  has  made  her  more  so  and  I  want  her  to 
be  so.  She  is  anxious  for  the  future  of  her  children.  So  am  I. 
Her  chief  aim  is  that  they  shall  not  be  objects  of  slur  in  social  caste. 
I  agree  with  her.  She  has  several  times  called  my  attention  to 
their  finger  nails  and  to  the  base  of  their  hair  on  the  nape  of  their 
necks.  She  has  asked  me  if  I  could  detect  any  kinks  in  their  hair 
at  those  places.  That  is  not  pleasant  to  me.  But  a  shows  the  trend 
of  her  mind.  I  told  her  last  night,  when  I  insisted  on  going  into 
the  room  to  see  her  mother,  that  now,  since  we  are  so  wealthy, 
society  will  force  demands  upon  us  for  its  own  gratification, 
whether  we  want  to  be  of  society  or  not,  but  that  I  want  our 
daughter  to  be  so  reared  that  she  can  marry  a  practical,  broad- 
minded,  business  man ;  one  who  can  and  will  take  care  of  the 
riches  I  intend  to  give  her,  and  not  a  society  man. 

"  Now,  Mike,"  continued  Alpha,  "  I  do  not  fully  recognize  my 
justification  in  telling  you  all  about  this  family  affair,  but  the 
fact  remains  every  man  must  have  some  confidential  friend,  and 


2Q2  The  Lady  of  New  Orleans. 

you  are  the  nearest  man  to  me.  Besides,  you  are  conversant  with 
the  main  points  in  the  case,  that  is,  about  my  mother-in-law  being 
an  octoroon.  So  it  is  not  like  telling  a  friend  who  does  not  know 
of  this.     Hence  I  feel  safe  in  telling  you." 

"  Indeed  you  are,  Alpha,"  asserted  Mike,  earnestly.  "  I  think 
more  of  your  wife  than  I  do  of  any  woman  in  the  world  except 
my  own  wife.    Your  wife  is  a  perfect  angel  here  on  earth." 

1  Yes,  and  by  thunder,  I  do  not  like  for  her  to  be  brooding  over 
such  a  matter  when  I  have  fully  condoned  it,  even  when  I  married 
her.  She  does  me  an  injustice  as  well  as  herself  and  her  children. 
I  wish  there  was  some  way  your  wife  could  talk  to  her  about  it." 
'  My  wife  knows  all  about  her  mother  and  her  mother  before 
her.  She  knows  of  them  from  the  time  their  foremother  was 
landed  at  Charleston,  South  Carolina,  by  a  Northern  ship  com- 
manded by  a  New  England  master." 

"  Of  course,  then  she  can  intercede,"  quickly  proclaimed  Alpha. 
;'  Mike,  you  suggest  that  she  condole  with  Mrs.  Millyard  and  try 
to  cheer  her." 

"  I  can  easily  arrange  that,"  he  said  quietly.  "  Mv  wife,  as  you 
know,  is  her  most  intimate  friend.  I  can,  without  divulging  any- 
thing of  what  you  have  said,  enlist  Mrs.  Delarue's  good  offices  'in 
bringing  about  a  restoration,  if  possible,  of  Mrs.  Millyard's  cheer- 
fulness and  former  frame  of  mind.  I  know  how  to  do  it,  but  Mrs. 
Delarue  knows  better  how  to  handle  the  case  than  either  vou  or  I." 
"  All  right.  Just  leave  it  to  her,"  said  Millyard. 
Mr.  and  Mrs.  Dalgal  arrived  in  New  Orleans  early  next  morn- 
ing on  Mr.  Millyard's  private  car.  Mrs.  Delarue  called  in  the 
middle  forenoon.  In  the  afternoon  she  took  Mrs.  Dalgal  out  driv- 
ing and  showed  her  New  Orleans  from  a  carriage  point  of  view. 

Meantime  Mrs.  Millyard's  mother  was  growing  worse.  The 
dear  old  lady  was  gradually  sinking.  The  best  physicians  of  the 
city  were  in  continuous  attendance.  Mrs.  Millyard  would  not 
leave  her  mother's  chamber,  even  for  her  own  welfare. 

A  couple  of  mornings  after  their  arrival  Mr.  Dalgal  was  up  and 
out  in  the  hallway  at  an  early  hour.  It  so  happened  that  Mr.  Mill- 
yard  had  also  risen  early.  Mr.  Dalgal,  meeting  him  with  great 
solemnity,  inquired : 

"  When  will  you  have  the  funeral,  Alpha  ?  " 

"  What  funeral  ?  "  asked  Millyard,  astounded. 

"  Why,  you  told  me  last  night  your  wife  was  dead !  " 


The  Lady  of  New  Orleans.  293 

"  Great  heavens,  man,  have  you  dreamed  that  my  wife  is  dead?  " 
He  instantly  became  in  a  passion  of  excitement. 

"  Dreamed?    No ;  you  told  me  so!  "  exclaimed  Dalgal. 

"  My  gracious !  We  never  talked  about  her  last  night.  She  is 
not  sick;  it  is  her  mother  who  is  sick ;  but  even  she  is  not  so  seri- 
ously ill.  If  you  have  dreamed  in  that  manner,  Galen,  I  am  afraid 
it  refers  to  her  instead  of  to  my  wife,  your  dreams  always  come 
so  true.  Do  not  say  a  word  about  it  to  my  wife ;  she  knows  all 
about  your  dreaming  qualities,  and  it  would  alarm  her  seriously." 

"  I  told  my  wife  about  it  as  soon  as  I  awoke  and  I  expect  she 
has  gone  in  the  room  to  see  your  wife.  That  is  the  reason  we  got 
up  so  soon."     Dalgal  said  this  in  quick  speech. 

"  For  goodness  sake !  hurry  and  see  her  before  she  sees  my  wife 
and  tells  her,"  cried  Millyard. 

Mr.  Dalgal  rushed  to  the  partially  open  door  screaming,  "  Lu- 
cilla,"  followed  closely  by  Millyard.  They  were  too  late.  Mrs. 
Dalgal  had  already  seen  Mrs.  Millyard  and  told  her. 


294  The  Lady  of  New  Orleans. 


CHAPTER  XLIX. 

THE  STING  THAT   STINGS. 

Madame  Millyard  and  Mrs.  Dalgal  appeared  much  amused 
at  Mr.  Dalgal's  absurd  dream.  Mr.  Millyard  was  not  so  easily 
amused.     He  took  it  seriously;  very  seriously. 

Two  days  later  the  Dalgals  departed  for  their  home.  They 
saw  the  situation,  that  Mrs.  Millyard  had  to  attend  to  her  sick 
mother,  and  so  abbreviated  their  visit. 

Mr.  Millyard  was  greatly  distressed;  more  on  account  of  his 
wife  because  of  Dalgal's  dream  than  any  other  cause. 

Two  days  later  the  physicians  were  called  suddenly  from 
Madame  de  Ampbert's  chamber  into  that  of  her  daughter.  Mrs. 
Millyard  had  been  suddenly  prostrated  by  a  fearful  attack  of 
sickness.  The  doctors  were  unable  to  immediately  diagnose  her 
case. 

Mrs.  Millyard  was  now  the  sick  person  in  the  house.  She 
lingered  in  dreadful  agony  during  several  days,  continually  ask- 
ing about  her  mother,  and  requiring  Mr.  Millyard  and  the  two 
children  to  be  with  her  all  the  time.  Later  being  told  that  her 
mother  was  better,  she  revived  considerably. 

Late  one  night  while  the  physicians  were  temporarily  absent 
and  the  children  were  asleep,  Mr.  Millyard  seated  by  her  bed, 
she  said : 

"  Alpha,  dear,  I  feel  that  I  am  about  to  pass  away.  That 
man's,  Mr.  Dalgal's,  dream  is  dreadful." 

"  Oh,  now  dear,  please  do  not  let  that  disturb  you,"  pleaded 
Alpha. 

"  It  does  not,  Alpha ;  but  I  know  my  time  is  short.  I  feel  it. 
I  want  to  say  this  to  you  before  I  go.  If  you  marry  some  other 
woman  and  have  children  by  her  they  will  treat  my  children 
coldly  and  perhaps  cruelly  when  they  become  old  enough  and 
know  the  bar-sinister,  the  ineffable  and  ineffaceable  barrier,  the 
deep  gulf  which  society  in  its  tyranny  would  place  and  does  place 


The  Sting  that  Stings.  295 

between  my  children  and  those  whom  society  would  acknowl- 
edge to  have  no  taint  of  blood.  But  there  are  those  who  are 
tainted  in  blood  other  than  my  poor  dear  mother  and  myself. 
There  are  men.  thousands  of  men,  who  have  made  themselves 
tainted  and  their  children  very  much  worse  by  concubinage  with 
negroes.  The  odor,  that  awful  odor,  from  the  armpits  of  such 
men  reveals  a  tale  that  for  which  the  very  heavens  and  angels 
cry  out  against.  Let  not  such  men  mock  the  misery  they  have 
created.  It  is  true  I  have  had  more  pleasure  at  my  command 
on  account  of  the  wealth  left  me  by  my  father  than  I  could  ever  ex- 
pected or  experienced  had  my  mother  and  my  grandmother  and 
her  mother  never  been  the  mistresses  of  white  men.  But  on  the 
other  hand,  I  have  experienced  more  inward  horror  and  sup- 
pressed sorrow  than  most  any  other  woman  in  the  world. 

"  Especially  has  this  been  so,"  she  said,  turning  her  head  and 
continuing,  "  since  that  sad,  dreadfully  sad,  night  in  New  York. 
There  were  women  there  that  night  whose  husbands,  and  some 
whose  sons,  were  no  whit  better  than  my  dear  father.  That 
course  of  itself  will  that  surely  mix  the  blood  of  a  white  man's 
legitimate  children." 

"  My  maid  has  told  me  all  about  them ;  she  knew  them.  She 
knew  the  women  who  had  private  lovers  other  than  their  hus- 
bands. It  was  a  common  gossip  among  the  maids.  Had  not 
Sarah  known  me  so  well  and  sympathized  with  me  she  would 
not  have  told  me.  It  is  the  bar-sinister, — the  bar-sinister  of 
miscegenation  revealed  to  the  world,  to  society,  that  shuts  me 
out,  and  makes  society  pure. 

"  I  had  never  thought  of  this  matter  seriously  in  the  glare  of 
the  cold,  calculating  world  until  after  that  night.  It  penetrated 
to  the  quick  when  subsequently  my  maid  told  me  what  she  knew 
about  the  men  and  some  of  the  women. 

"  But  you  know,  Alpha,  I  am  not  to  blame  for  my  helpless 
condition.  Neither  is  my  mother  to  be  blamed.  She,  the 
daughter  of  an  octoroon  by  a  white  man  !  could  she  be  expected 
to  marry  a  black  negro,  or  even  a  mulatto?  Could  she,  edu- 
cated in  Paris,  refined  and  cultured,  hope  to  marry  a  white  man 
equal  in  attainments  and  refinements  in  life?  No,  not  at  all. 
Therefore,  when  a  bachelor,  a  cultured  French  gentleman  of 
large  wealth,  requested  her  to  become  his  mistress  it  was  nat- 
ural, yea,  even  the  only  course  under  the  rigid  and  frigid  rules 
of  society   strictly  complied   with  that  she  should  accept  him. 


296  The  Lady  of  New  Orleans. 

They  were  man  and  wife  in  all  respects  except  in  having  a 
license  from  the  Parish  clerk  and  a  minister  of  the  gospel  to  tell 
them  they  were  man  and  wife.  For  that  reason,  and  being  so 
thinly  tainted  in  my  blood ;  being  educated  and  having  wealth 
bestowed  upon  me  by  my  father  for  the  promotion  of  my  happi- 
ness, I  made  bold  to  seek  and  wed  the  man  of  my  choice.  I  saw 
no  harm  in  it.  My  father  had  desired  such,  and  had  me  edu- 
cated to  it.  He  gave  me  wealth  to  aid  me,  and  said  I  ought  to 
marry  some  fine  gentleman.  But  now  a  new  light  has  dawned 
upon  me.  I  see  what  harm  it  will  be  to  my  darling  children. 
For  that  reason  it  would  please  me,  on  to  my  dying  moment,  and 
I  could  die  easy  and  satisfied,  were  I  to  hear  you  say  that  you 
will  not  marry  again  until  my  children  are  stationed  in  life,  or 
can  be  isolated  from  any  other  issue  of  yours.'* 

"  My  dear,  sweet  Rittea,  I  have  listened  to  your  profound 
remarks  with  deep  emotion  and  conviction.  You  have  im- 
pressed me  to  the  quick,  and  I  promise  you  most  solemnly  that 
I  will  do  as  you  request.  I  am  as  deeply  anxious  about  our  dear 
children  as  you  can  possibly  be."  Saying  which  he  bent  over 
and  kissed  her.  - 

"  That  is  so  sweet."  said  she,  rolling  her  glorious  eyes  toward 
his  and  tossing  her  head  on  the  pillow  with  her  face  facing  him. 

"  Rittea,  my  dear,  I  do  hope  you  will  not  die.  You  have 
given  me  to  melancholia.  If  you  die  and  your  good  mother 
dies,  I  shall  have  to  live  for  the  children,  if  I  can  live.  But  I 
am  afraid  I  would  not  live  much  longer.  Grief  has  already 
crowded  itself  unduly  on  me.  Yea,  more  than  I  could  bear, 
only  but  for  your  sake.  You  are  so  sweet  and  lovely ;  so  amiable 
in  your  disposition  and  temperament ;  so  trusting,  gentle,  con- 
fiding  "  Mr.  Mill  yard  broke  down.    He  was  weeping. 

"  There,  dear  Alpha ;  don't  cry.  Kiss  me."  Placing  his 
hands  against  her  cheeks  he  kissed  her  several  times. 

One  of  the  physicians  suddenly  entered  the  room. 

"  O,  ho !  I  am  glad  to  see  you  so  much  better.  That  is  right, 
Mr.  Millyard,  you  remain  right  in  here  all  the  time.  Your 
cheerful  presence  is  good  medicine  for  our  patient.  But  you 
are  up  rather  late." 

"  I  fear,  doctor,"  said  Mrs.  Millyard  feebly,  "  this  is  only  the 
prelude  to  the  worse  that  is  coming." 

"  Xo,  Madame,  do  not  let  your  mind  think  any  such  thing!" 
exclaimed  the  doctor,  quickly  and  abruptly. 


The  Sting  that  Stings.  297 

Another  doctor  came  in  the  room ;  it  was  the  hour  for  their 
coming,  the  fateful  hour  of  three.  The  first  doctor  asked  of  the 
last  one : 

"  Don't  you  think  she  is  better?  " 

:'  She  appears  to  be  better ;  I  have  no  doubt  really  is  better," 
replied  the  one  interrogated,  after  he  felt  of  her  pulse. 

"  I  am  glad  you  both  agree.-'  said  Millyard.  "  When  doctors 
disagree  it  is  time  to  become  alarmed." 

"  She  is  unquest'onably  better."     They  both  agreed  to  that. 

'  Your  mother  is  also  much  improved,"  said  the  first  doctor. 

"  Yes,  that  is  quite  correct,"  added  the  other. 

"  I  am  so  glad,"  said  Mrs.  Millyard. 

The  trained  nurse,  who  had  been  secured  from  a  hospital,  and 
Mrs.  Millyard's  ma;d  were  called  in  the  room  by  one  of  the  doc- 
tors. Mr.  Millyard  was  excused.  The  doctors  gave  directions 
what  should  be  done,  then  retired. 

Ten  minutes  later  Mrs.  Millyard  became  worse.  The  doctors 
were  quickly  called.  Her  condition  they  admitted  was  critical. 
Mr.  Millyard  sent  Louis,  with  the  coachman  and  landau,  after 
Mr.  and  Mrs.  Delarue,  who  came. 

Mrs.  Millyard,  the  sweet,  gentle  '  lady  of  New  Orleans,'  lin- 
gered until  five  in  the  morning,  when  she  quietly  and  peacefully 
went  to  sleep — forever. 

'  Think  of  me  kindly,"  were  the  last  words  she  uttered. 

Mr.  Alpha  Millyard,  his  two  children,  De  Ampbert  Millyard, 
the  boy,  and  Mittie  Millyard,  the  little  girl,  all  the  servants,  the 
three  doctors  and  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Mike  Delarue  were  gathered 
around  the  bed  of  Madame  Rittea  Millyard  when  she  expired. 

The  good  old  mother  pleaded  ever  so  much  to  be  taken  up 
and  carried  into  the  room.  But  her  wish  could  not  be  granted ; 
the  doctors  agreed  that  it  would  be  fatal.  The  poor  old  lady 
was  sorely  grieved  at  not  being  able  to  give  her  idol,  her  darling 
daughter,  a  parting  glance  or  salutation. 

Alpha  Millyard,  prostrated,  was  carried  in  his  room  adjoining 
and  gently  placed  in  bed.  None  of  the  other  people,  not  one, 
not  even  Mike  Delarue,  knew  of  the  grief  he  bore,  the  weight 
of  his  woe. 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Delarue  took  matters  in  charge.  The  valet- 
steward,  Louis,  the  faithful  old  soul,  was  sent  for  the  undertaker. 

Hundreds  of  people  called  at  the  Millyard  mansion  during 
the    day.     When    her    death    became    more    generally    known 


298  The  Lady  of  New  Orleans. 

through  the  two  o'clock  edition  of  the  newspapers  the  number 
of  callers  were  increased  to  a  continuous  file  of  people.  None 
gazed  more  sadly  on  the  beautiful  features  of  the  dead  than  those 
who  had  been  aided  by  her  bountiful  charity.  She  had  always 
sought  at  their  homes  those  on  whom  she  bestowed  her  bounty. 

In  New  Orleans  interments  must  take  place  in  vaults  on  top  of 
the  ground.  Underneath  the  surface  the  soil  is  moist  and  soft, 
marshy. 

Before  removing  the  remains  from  the  house  the  casket  contain- 
inp-  them  was  borne  to  the  bedside  of  the  grief-stricken,  sick  and 
feeble  old  mother  that  ?he  might  look  upon  her  dearly-beloved 
daughter  one  more  tim~  the  last  time,  although  cold  and  pallid  in 
death.    It  made  a  fervid  impression  ;  she  was  overcome  with  grief. 

The  magnificent  metallic  casket  containing  the  mortal  remains 
of  Mrs.  Rittea  de  Ampbert  Millyard,  the  lady  of  New  Orleans, 
as  the  beneficiaries  of  her  bounty  had  lovingly  called  her,  were 
deposited  in  the  family  vault  beside  those  of  her  grandmother, 
temporarily,  until  Mr.  Millyard  could  have  a  more  elaborate  mau- 
soleum built. 

Thus  passed  away  the  "  lady  of  New  Orleans." 

Mr.  Millyard  was  again  prostrated  while  at  the  tomb.  He  was 
conveyed  home  as  quickly  as  possible  and  placed  in  bed.  The 
doctors  came  at  once.  Serious  apprehensions  for  his  life  were  en- 
tertained. 

"  Prepare  chambers  for  Mrs.  Delarue  and  myself;  we  will  re- 
main here  all  night."  Thus  spoke  Mr.  Delarue  to  Sarah,  the 
maid. 

The  doctors  did  all  they  could  to  revive  Mr.  Millyard,  but  their 
efforts  seemed  in  vain. 

Shortly  after  one  o'clock  that  night,  while  the  people  there  were 
at  lunch  in  the  dining-hall,  Mr.  Millyard  showed  symptoms  of 
revival.  While  Louis  was  absent,  gone  to  notify  the  people  of  the 
change,  Mr.  Millyard  quietly  went  into  the  adjoining  chamber, 
which  had  been  occupied  by  his  wife.  Delarue  and  the  others 
watched  him.    He  knelt  beside  the  bed  ;  in  mournful  tones  he  said : 

"  Please,  Rittea,  do  not  die.  I  do  not  understand  why  Galen 
Dalgal  had  to  make  such  a  dream.  He  should  have  known  better 
than  to  tell  it.  Cast  it  from  your  mind ;  do  not  think  of  it ;  it  is  a 
delusion.  What  will  we  do  without  you?  O,  darling  Rittea! 
think  of  the  little  children  !    Please  do  not  die !  " 

The  steward  finally  went  to  him  and  at  length  prevailed  on  him 


The  Sting  that  Stings.  299 

to  sip  a  little  champagne,  then  to  partake  of  a  litttle  lunch  with  a 
cup  of  hot  coffee. 

Next  day  Mr.  Millyard  was  very  much  better.  But  it  was  ap- 
parent to  Mr.  Delarue  and  the  doctors,  even  to  the  servants,  that 
his  mind  was  wandering. 

During  several  days  following,  Mr.  Millyard  listessly  moped 
about  the  house,  not  venturing  out,  seldom  talking  to  any  one, 
save  occasionally  with  his  children  and  Delarue  or  with  his 
mother-in-law  when  he  went  into  her  chambers. 

Madame  de  Ampbert  was  gradually  but  surely  giving  way 
to  the  ravage  of  her  disease,  age,  infirmity  and  grief. 

Mr.  Millyard  conversed  with  Delarue  when  he  came  about 
his  business  affairs  rationally  several  minutes  at  a  time. 

The  doctors  came  and  went. 

The  old  lady  continued  to  get  worse  and  worse.  It  became 
evident  that  her  time  in  life  was  near  its  close.  Everything  was 
done  and  being  done  for  her  that  was  possible,  but  all  to  no 
avail. 

Ten  days  after  Madame  Millyard's  funeral  the  old  mother  died. 

Her  remains  were  quietly  put  away  in  a  handsome  metallic  cas- 
ket in  the  vault  beside  her  mother  and  her  daughter. 


30o  The  Lady  of  New  Orleans. 


CHAPTER  L. 

LAWYERS  ENTERING  THEIR  WEDGES. 

"  Alpha,  come  to  the  bank  in  the  morning;  it  will  benefit  you 
to  come  out  and  get  some  fresh  air,  talk  business  and  otherwise 
occupy  your  mind."  Thus  spoke  Delarue  one  e-/enirg  several 
weeks  after  the  funeral  of  Madame  de  Ampbert.  Mr.  Millyard 
seemed  to  be  averse  to  presenting  himself  to  company  in  public ; 
he  had  secluded  himself  at  home  and  refused  to  be  seen  except  by 
his  special  friends,  and  they  were  few.  The  fact  was,  he  knew  his 
own  condition.     He  replied  absent-mindedly : 

"  I  will  see  how  I  feel  in  the  morning." 

"  I  have  given  your  business  close  attention,"  returned  Mike, 
"  but  there  are  some  matters  requiring  your  personal  direction.  I 
may  not  be  able  to  attend  to  them  as  you  would  wish." 

"  Anything  you  do  for  me,  Mike,  is  all  right,"  retorted  Alpha. 
"  However,  I  will  come  to  the  bank  in  the  morning  if  I  feel  well 
enough.     Louis  can  bring  me  and  the  children  in  the  victoria." 
He  desired  the  children  to  be  with  him  all  the  time. 

"  There  is  a  letter  from  your  man  at  the  mines."  -■ 

"  What  does  he  write  about  ?  " 

"  Something  about  another  good  thing  he  has  found  for  you ; 
I  think  it  is  copper  and  iron." 

"  Shucks,"  ejaculated  Alpha.  "  I  would  not  pull  out  of  gold  and 
Hiddenite  diamonds  then  go  into  iron  and  copper.  Telegraph  him 
I  am  sick  ;  come  and  see  me  here.  Also  telegraph  Galen  Dalgal  to 
come  immediately  and  bring  his  wife,  children  and  servant ;  that  I 
want  them  to  take  a  trip  with  me  on  the  Pacific  coast.  Ask  for 
answers  when  they  can  come." 

Next  morning  Millyard,  with  his  children,  was  conveyed  to  the 
bank  in  his  carriage.  He  was  not  feeble,  physically,  only  men- 
tally on  certain  lines.    No  one  is  wholly  insane  except  an  idiot. 

"  Mike,"  said  Millyard,  when  they  were  at  ease  in  the  back 


Lawyers  Entering  their  Wedges.  301 

room  of  the  bank,  "  I  want  to  get  someone  to  administer  upon  the 
estates  of  my  wife  and  her  mother." 

"  You  must  do  that  yourself,"  replied  Delarue.  "  Do  not  trust 
that  to  anyone  else.  You  can  get  our  lawyer,  Goeticheus,  and  your 
secretary  to  attend  to  all  the  busness  for  you.  Did  they  have 
much?  though  of  course  I  know  they  did." 

"  My  wife  had  about  two  hundred  and  fifty  thousand  dollars' 
worth  of  property  in  this  State  besides  what  she  owned  in  France. 
Her  mother  had  at  least  one  hundred  and  fifty  thousand  dollars' 
worth  here  besides  what  she  had  in  France." 

"  Did  they  leave  wills?  "  asked  Delarue. 

"  No ;  it  was  only  a  short  time  ago  that  my  wife  told  me  neither 
of  them  had  made  wills,  but  issue  inherits." 

"  Of  course,"  said  Delarue.  '  You  apply  for  letters  of  admin- 
istration on  both  estates  at  once,  this  very  morning." 

This  was  agreed  to  and  arranged  that  Delarue  and  the  local 
agent  of  Mr.  Millyard's  steamship  co  many  should  be  his  bonds- 
men. Goeticheus,  the  lawyer  of  the  bank,  prepared  the  papers  and 
took  the  matter  in  charge.  He  was  a  specialist  in  that  branch  of 
Louisiana  law. 

"  Goeticheus,  come  to  the  bank  directly,"  remarked  Delarue,  as 
the  three  were  leaving  the  court  building  after  the  transaction. 

"  Could  you  come  by  Judge  Caldwell's  office  and  say  that  I  re- 
quest him  to  please  come  with  you  ?  "  added  Millyard.  "  I  wish  to 
consult  you  and  him  together.  He  is  a  pretty  fair  lawyer,  eh? 
Mike  ?  " 

"  Yes ;  he  can  size  up  with  any  of  them,"  Mike  replied,  dryly. 

"  Since  lawyers  must  be  had  I  suppose  I  must  have  them  and 
have  the  best  the  market  affords  and  employ  them  by  the  year," 
added  Millyard.     '  Thev  are  one  of  the  necessary  evils." 

Ex-Judge  Theophilus  T.  Caldwell  was  one  of  the  leading  law- 
years  of  Louisiana.  He  and  Goeticheus  met  Millyard  and  Delarue 
in  the  directors'  room  of  the.  bank  about  half-past  twelve. 

"  Judge  Caldwell,  I  want  to  employ  you  by  the  year  as  one  of 
my  attorneys ;  you  will  be  associated  with  Mr.  Goeticheus  and  my 
other  attorney,  who  is  in  North  Carolina.  I  have  telegraphed  for 
him  to  come  here.     Can  you  accept  the  position?  " 

'  I  can  accept  the  position  and  do  my  best  to  fill  it  to  satisfac- 
tion ;  but  will  it  prevent  me  from  attending  to  my  regular  legal 
business?  " 

"  It  will  do  this,"  said  Millyard,  earnestly :  "  when  I  want  you, 


302  The  Lady  of  New  Orleans. 

I  will  want  you ;  otherwise  it  will  not  interfere  any  more  than  any 
other  business.  I  wish  to  say,  however,  I  would  desire  that  you, 
both  of  you,  keep  up  with  the  practice  and  all  the  decisions  of  the 
Federal  Judiciary.  My  business  will  be  largely  interstate;  there- 
fore my  legal  business  largely  in  the  United  States  courts.  You 
may  have  observed  that  we  are  rapidly  drifting  into  adjudications  f 
without  trial  by  jury.  Forcing  rights  by  injunctions.  In  other 
words,  equity  has  the  docket.  I  must  have  lawyers  who  can  keep 
themselves  up  to  date.     In  fact,  who  can  go  ahead  of  date." 

"  Mr.  Millyard  was  once  a  practitioner  at  our  bar,"  interposed 
Mr.  Goeticheus. 

"  Yes,  I  first  met  Mr.  Millyard  in  the  Eighth  District  Court, 
where  he  defeated  me  in  a  very  important  case.  That  was  nearly 
ten  years  ago,"  Judge  Caldwell  replied.  "  I  have  respect  for  his 
legal  acumen." 

"  Gentlemen,  it  is  our  lunch  time,"  said  Delarue,  suddenly  en- 
tering the  directors'  room  where  the  gentlemen  were.  "  I  wish 
you  to  join  Mr.  Millyard  and  myself  in  a  lunch  at  Victor's." 

The  cashier  called  Delarue  a  moment  and  he  went  out.  While 
Delarue  was  absent  Millyard  went  on : 

"  Thinking  over  the  matter,  and  in  order  that  each  of  you  may 
be  a  witness  as  to  the  other,"  said  Millyard,  "  I  propose  to  give 
each  of  you  twenty  thousand  dollars  per  annum  and  your  expenses 
when  away  from  here  on  my  business.  This  will  be  in  the  South- 
ern States,  also  in  the  Western  States,  until  my  business  in  those 
States  justifies  me  in  employing  resident  attorneys  in  that  sec- 
tion.   What  say  you  ?  " 

"  That  is  satisfactory  to  me,"  responded  Judge  Caldwell. 

"  I  am  entirely  satisfied,"  added  Mr.  Goeticheus. 

"  There  is  then  no  need  of  written  contracts,"  said  Millyard, 
"  only  that  we  inform  Mr.  Delarue  and  each  of  us  enter  the  mem- 
orandum of  date  and  amount  and  duty  in  our  books." 

"  Will  your  business,  though  it  is  none  of  my  business,  justify 
you  in  this  expenditure,  Mr.  Millyard?  How  long  may  we  hope 
that  it  will  last?  You  see,  we  ought  to  know  in  order  that  we 
may  govern  our  other  engagements  accordingly."  These  were 
questions  and  reasons  by  Judge  Caldwell,  the  eminent  jurist. 

"  With  your  permission,  Mr.  Millyard,  I  am  the  attorney  for 
this  bank,"  Goeticheus  quickly  spoke.  "  I  do  not  know  how  much 
else  Mr.  Millyard  has,  but  his  balance  in  this  bank  right  now  is 
over  one  hundred  million  dollars." 


Lawyers  Entering  their  Wedges.  303 

"  Great  Caesar!  "  exclaimed  Judge  Caldwell.  '  I  had  no  idea 
the  capital  and  deposits  of  all  the  banks  in  town  amounted  to  one- 
twentieth  of  that  sum.  Mr.  Millyard,  your  legal  business  shall  be 
attended  to  so  far  as  I  am  concerned  the  same  as  if  it  were  my 
own." 

"  I  can  say  the  same  for  myself,"  added  Goeticheus. 

With  a  twinkle  in  his  eye,  Millyard  remarked : 

'"  It  is  my  understanding  that  lawyers  and  doctors  have  axioms 
in  their  ethics.  However,  I  waive  that  in  favor  of  your  good  in- 
tentions. My  deposit  and  what  I  am  worth  was  and  is  private  and 
confidential  and  must  be  kept  so.  Please  keep  that  in  mind.  Mr. 
Dalgal,  with  his  family,  will  be  here  in  a  few  days.  I  shall  leave 
for  California  as  soon  as  they  come  and  take  them  with  me.  The 
doctors  say  the  trip  is  necessary  for  my  health.  I  know  I  am 
mentally  broken  down  if  not  also  physically." 

Mr.  Delarue  returned  to  the  room  accompanied  by  three  of  the 
bank's  directors.     He  said  : 

"  Mr.  Millyard,  we  will  noL  have  a  directors'  meeting  to-day, 
but  these  directors  have  come  to  pay  you  their  respects." 

"  I  am  glad  to  meet  you,  gentlemen,"  said  Millyard,  rising.  "  I 
appreciate  your  kindness  and  courtesy." 

The  directors  remained  only  a  few  moments. 

'"  Mike,  these  two  gentlemen  and  I  have  come  to  terms  and 
contracted  at  twenty  thousand  dollars  a  year  each  and  their  ex- 
penses when  off  on  my  business,  said  Millyard.  "  Just  consult 
with  them,  please,  on  any  business  of  mine  for  their  attention. 
Give  Mr.  Pollard  whatever  work  of  mine  there  is  in  his  line.  Mr. 
Pollard,  you  will  please  remain  about  the  bank  at  Mr.  Delarue's 
disposal  at  all  times  he  desires."  Mr.  Pollard  was  one  of  Mill- 
yard's  stenographic  secretaries,  who  had  just  come  to  the  door. 

•'  Tt  is  time  we  were  going  to  lunch,"  suggested  Delarue. 

They  repaired  to  Victor's.  Mr.  Goeticheus  and  Judge  Cald- 
well were  exceedingly  jovial.  They  became  more  so  after  they 
had  two  or  three  glasses  of  champagne,  feed  and  wine  working 
in  unison.  Their  joviality  was  the  very  thing  for  Mr.  Millyard. 
It  took  his  mind  from  his  great  sorrows.  Mr.  Delarue  drew  him 
into  the  zest  of  it  as  much  as  possible.  The  lawyers  branched 
out  into  telling  anecdotes.  The  salary  in  sight  may  have  added 
pepper  to  their  wits. 

"It  seems  to  be  my  turn  again,"  Goeticheus  remarked.  "  I'll 
tell  you,  an  old  one,  probably,  but  in  a  new  way.     I  knew  the 


304  The  Lady  of  New  Orleans. 

parties  up  in  Georgia  who  were  the  principals,  so  to  me  it 
appears'  to  be  a  good  one.  Red-headed  Bill  Carroll,  now  of 
Montana',  the  best  lawyer  in  the  West,  and  the  wittiest  man  in 
the  United  States,  had  a  case  several  years  ago  before  Judge 
Greene  in  Georgia.  A  witness  was  on  the  stand  named  Browne, 
with  the  extra  e  at  the  end  of  his  name.  Red-headed  Bill  Car- 
roll persisted  in  calling  the  witness  Mr.  Brown-ee,  although 
asked  not  to  do  so.  '  Now,  Mr.  Brown-ee,'  said  Bill.  Judge 
Greene,  with  an  extra  e  at  the  end  of  his  name,  interrupted  Bill, 
saying :  '  The  witness  has  told  you  his  name  is  not  Brown-ee, 
but  is  B-r-o-w-n-e,  Brown.  Now,  sir,  my  name  is  G-r-e-e-n-e; 
would  you  call  me  Green-ee  ? '  Bill  scratched  his  red  tufts  a 
moment  and  replied :  '  That  depends  altogether,  your  honor,  how 
this  case  goes.'  " 

The  day's  exercise  and  social  companionship  revived  Millyard 
very  much. 

Galen  Dalgal  with  his  wife,  two  children  and  their  servant 
arrived  in  New  Orleans  and  were  met  at  the  train  by  Louis. 

In  a  few  days  the  party  departed  in  Millyard's  private  car 
bound  for  the  Pacific  Coast  to  be  absent  two  months  or  more. 

As  Prof.  Alfred  Wortman  could  not  come  to  New  Orleans  at 
that  time,  Millyard  telegraphed  him  that  he  was  off  for  Cali- 
fornia and  would  return  via  Hickory. 


A  Waif  in  the  World.  305 


CHAPTER  LI. 

A  WAIF  IN  THE  WORLD. 

Having  made  the  tour  of  the  Pacific  Coast,  Millyard  and  his 
.party  stopped  over  on  their  return  at  Denver.  Mrs.  Dalgal 
was  not  well.  She  was  languid  and  morose.  Dalgal  and  Mill- 
yard  both  thought  her  indisposition  resulted  from  fatigue  and 
too  much  travel. 

"  I  am  sorry  you  are  becoming  so  much  fatigued,  Madame 
Dalgal,"  remarked  Millyard  when  they  were  alone.  "  Had  you 
not   better   go   to   the    ranch    I    bought    in    California    and    rest 

awhile  ?  " 

"  No,"  she  replied.  "I  prefer  to  return  home.  It  continues  to 
grieve  me  to  know  that  your  wife  grieved  herself  to  death  over 
such  unfounded  suspicions." 

"  You  should  not  think  of  that,"  retorted  Millyard.  "  You 
seem  to  have  a  wrong  impression  about  her  grief.  It  was  not 
as  you  imagine.  It  was  a  cause  altogether  different;  a  matter 
entirely  personal  to  herself.  So  you  need  not  give  yourself  any 
concern  whatsoever  on  that  score." 

"  She  did  so  much  to  the  contribution  of  your  happiness," 
retorted  Mrs.  Dalgal,  "  and  enabled  you  to  be  the  instrument  for 
the  happiness  of  Mr.  Dalgal  and  his  family,  that  I  revere  her 
memory,  and  dwell  with  sorrow  on  her  untimely  death.  She 
was  such  a  lovely,  sweet  woman.     I  shall  never  forget  her," 

"  You  bring  her  memory  back  to  me  with  sorrow." 

"  I  have  made  a  mistake ;  I  beg  your  pardon.  I  will  not  do 
so  again,"  she  said.  "  Is  your  coach  to  be  finished  by  the  time 
we  s:et  to  Chicaeo  ?  " 

"  I  hope  so.  But  I  shall  have  little  use  for  it  now.  Though 
I  am  anxious  to  see  it." 

At  Chicago  they  went  to  Pullman  and  inspected  the  new  coach. 
It  was  promised  to  be  forwarded  to  New  Orleans  in  a  few 
20 


306  The  Lady  of  New  Orleans. 

weeks.  Their  stay  in  Chicago  was  brief,  only  two  days.  Their 
departure  for  Hickory  was  hastened  on  account  of  Mrs.  Dalgal's 
increasing  illness.  Her  condition  was  becoming  a  source  of  much 
anxiety. 

Arriving  in  Hickory,  Mr.  Millyard  remained  a  couple  of 
days  in  order  to  see  Professor  Wortman,  who  came  there. 

The  mines,  Professor  said,  were  holding  out  fairly  well,  but 
not  altogether  as  well  as  formerly. 

Mrs.  Dalgal  became  very  sick  was  confined  to  bed  and  phy- 
sicians were  called.  This  had  a  very  depressing  effect  on  Mr. 
Millyard.  So  he  hurriedly  departed  for  Atlanta,  where  he  in- 
tended to  stop  over  to  see  his  sister. 

******* 

Her  life  was  sad ;  her  heart  was  deadened ;  blighted  by  the 
incidents  of  the  past  nine  months.  In  her  new  home,  Miss 
Cecelia  had  surrounded  herself  with  those  pleasures  and  com- 
forts that  most  conduced  to  her  happiness,  including  two  maiden 
cousins.  Miss  Martha  and  Miss  Jennie  Aubryberry  and  a  dear 
old  man.  a  life-long  friend  of  the  family,  who  had  been  bereft 
of  all  his  family  and  left  alone  in  the  world  without  much  of 
its  comforts — Mr.  Daniel  S.  Landon.  The  old  man  attended  to 
the  business  affairs  of  Miss  Cecelia  and  acted  as  head  of  the 
familv.  Pie  was  allowed  to  supply  his  wants  which  were  few, 
out  of  her  funds.  In  fact  he  was  situated  in  every  respect  as 
if  he  were  her  father,  for  he  was  much  older  than  her  father 
would  have  been. 

Miss  Cecelia's  friends  and  acquaintances  visited  her  as  ever 
before  and  were  always  made  welcome  and  as  happy  as  possible 
at  her  home ;  though  she  never  went  out  from  home. 

Long  ago  her  condition  had  become  such  that  she  shut  herself 
out  from  the  world,  only  to  those  of  her  coterie  whom  she  chose 
to  visit  her. 

Rounding  out  the  law  of.  nature,  no  difference  what  theorists 
mav  say  to  the  contrary,  in  due  course  of  time  Miss  Cecelia 
Millyard  was  delivered  of  a  female  child.  It  was  nearly  black. 
Only  a  tinge  of  yellow  tint  shaded  the  child's  skin. 

Martyrdom  forcefully  sealing  itself  upon  a  helpless  young 
woman,  as  remorseless  in  its  clutch  as  the  great  anaconda  en- 
circling itself  around  the  fragile  form  of  a  babe,  crushed  the 
poor  woman's  heart  still  more  and  more,  deeper  and  deeper,  over 


A  Waif  in  the  World.  307 

and  beyond  the  deadly  sting  of  the  outrage  itself,  when  she  was 
informed  and  shown  that  her  child,  one  to  which  she  had  given 
birth,  her  first-born,  was  a  negress  in  part,  the  full  fruit  of  a 
coal  black,  foully  odorous  negro. 

Convulsing  herself  between  heaven  and  earth ;  despairing  and 
wailing ;  wishing  that  she  were  dead  and  hoping  yet  to  live ;  sick 
and  in  agony  though  she  was,  when  the  child  was  shown  her, 
in  bitter  anguish  she  wept,  crying  out  in  accents  appalling  in 
pathos : 

"  Take  it  away !  Take  it  away  !     I  know  it  not !  " 

It  was  the  acme  of  the  actions  that  roughly  rip  and  tear 
the  tender  chords  by  the  roots  from  the  heart.  Mother!  infant 
child  just  born  into  the  world,  separate  them  then  and  there  for- 
ever and  not  by  death?  That  were  a  theme  that  thickens  and 
sickens  the  more  and  more  it  is  revolved  in  the  mind. 

Not  one  drop  of  milk  for  nourishment  from  her  breast  should 
the  child  ever  have.       Nor  should  it  lay  in  the  same  bed  with  her. 

"  Take  it  away !  Take  it  away  !  I  know  it  not !  "  she  appeal- 
ingly  repeated,  with  a  slight  gesture  of  her  feeble  hand. 

Some  sickly  sentimental,  sorrow-mocking  persons  might  have 
condemned  the  poor  unfortunate  girl.  Her  education,  training 
and  environment  were  such  that  she  would  not  under  any  cir- 
cumstances claim  condonement. 

Ah,  but  think,  are  the  words  the  purport  of  those  that  some 
souls  will  hear  in  the  great  Judgment  Day? 

Under  such  extraordinary  conditions  what  must  have  been 
poor  Cecelia's  feelings?  Try  to  put  yourself  in  her  place  and 
try  to  decide  it  for  yourself  by  analysis?  It  cannot  be  done. 
It  is  therefore  invidious  to  proceed  with  a  description  of  a 
tortured  soul  under  such  extraordinary  circumstances.  The  in- 
nate yearnings  of  a  mother  for  her  offspring;  blood  of  her 
blood,  flesh  of  her  flesh,  soul  of  her  origin ;  casting  it  out  for- 
ever ;  because  it  came  not  of  her  choice,  was  not  of  her  seeking, 
but  was  a  mongrel  breed  forced  upon  her  by  brutish,  fiendish 
force ;  a  child,  a  charge,  that  would  forever  harrow  her  life  in 
society,  in  the  world,  in  her  home,  were  a  parting  of  the  ways 
that  aroused  every  sensibility  in  human  heart.  The  agonizing 
mother  no  doubt  felt  all  of  the  inward  and  outward  horrors 
of  the  situation. 

The  physicians  in  attendance  gave  it  as  their  opinion  that  in 


308  The  Lady  of  New  Orleans. 

order  to  save  the  life  of  the  mother,  the  child  must  not  be  brought 
into  her  presence  again.  This  decision  was  acted  upon  accord- 
ingly. 

Fortunately  a  mulatto  woman  in  the  neighborhood  was  fur- 
nishing milk  at  the  time,  and  she  was  easily  prevailed  upon  for 
a  slight  pecuniary  consideration  to  take  the  child  and  nurse  it. 
This  was  arranged  by  Miss  Cecelia's  kind  friends  and  neighbors. 

Miss  Cecelia  was  in  a  serious  condition. 

When  Mr.  Alpha  Millyard  arrived  from  Hickory  on  his  way 
back  to  New  Orleans  and  found  the  situation  thus,  he  was  dis- 
tressed beyond  measure.  Whatever  else  were  his  thoughts  there 
were  some  that  would  not  down,  try  never  so  hard  as  he  did  to 
force  them  down. 

"  Buddie,  I  am  astounded !  That  is  awful !  My  nephew  and 
niece  part  negro !  Thac  is  terrible !  Do  the  people  all  know  it, 
buddie?    Is  it  generally  known?"    And  then  again: 

"  Buddie,  why  did  she  not  inform  you  of  the  taint  in  her  blood 
before  you  were  married?  In  that  event,  and  you  condoned  her, 
there  could  have  been  no  fault  to  find  by  anyone." 

These  were  the  bitter  words  that  preyed  on  Alpha  Millyard's 
mind.  They  gnawed  at  the  vitals  of  his  already  over-wrought 
heart  and  brain. 

Miss  Cecelia,  lying  in  bed,  had  swooned,  and  anon  was  agitated 
almost  into  convulsions  at  any  mere  suggestion  or  reference  to 
her  child. 

So  without  consulting  her  in  the  matter  and  without  her 
knowledge  Mr.  Millyard  decided  to  send  the  child  to  a  foundling 
hospital  in  Boston,  of  which  he  had  a  friend  at  the  head.  He 
thereupon  telegraphed  and  arranged  to  that  end. 

The  mulatto  woman  who  had  the  child  in  charge  and  her 
husband  were  provided  with  ample  funds  and  despatched  to 
Boston  with  the  baby  girl,  who  was  given  the  name  of  Lizette. 

Some  day  when  she  becomes  a  grown  woman  there  may  be  a 
nice  law  suit,  with  one  fine  point  at  least,  about  her  right  to  her 
mother's  name,  if  not  to  inheritjier  mother's  property. 

Alpha  Millyard  remained  at  his  sister's  only  two  days,  then 
went  on  to  New  Orleans,  sad,  more  despondent  and  heartbroken 
than  ever. 

Euripides  says :  "  The  sorrow  of  yesterday  is  as  nothing- ;  that 
of  to-day  is  bearable ;  but  that  of  to-morrow  is  gigantic,  because 


A  Waif  in  the  World.  309 

indistinct."  The  sorrows  we  have  are  not  so  bad  as  they  might 
have  been.  Still,  after  a  little  reflection,  it  will  no  doubt  be  per- 
ceived that  the  sorrow  of  Alpha  Millyard  could  never  be  ex- 
ceeded in  that  line  of  cause.  There  is  no  case  a  counterpart  or 
parallel. 

Miss  Cecelia  Millyard  was  now  doomed  to  remain  unmarried. 
But  why?  Still,  such  was  the  case.  Probably  more  because 
she  herself  decreed  it. 

She  settled  down  at  home  in  seclusion  for  a  sad.  weary  life; 
a  life  of  misery  and  sorrow ;  a  life  in  which  the  mind  eats  as 
its  prey  the  body  and  itself. 

A  week  after  Millyard's  return  to  New  Orleans  he  received  a 
telegram  from  Mr.  Dalgal  announcing  the  death  of  Mrs.  Dalgal. 

This  was  another  sorrow-bringing  blow  to  Millyard.  His 
Pacific  trip  had  not  produced  evidences  of  any  improvement  in 
his  condition,  and  his  physicians  had  already  instructed  him  to 
remain  at  home  as  much  as  possible.  Still,  no  one  there,  not 
even  Delarue,  knew  of  his  great  whelming  griefs. 


3io  The  Lady  of  New  Orleans. 


CHAPTER  LII. 

A  BRILLIANT  MIND'S  VAGARIES. 

"  The  leaves  are  turning  over,"  philosophised  Millyard  while 
seated  at  his  desk  in  his  library  late  one  afternoon,  when  it  was 
about  Mr.  Delarue's  time  for  calling.  '  We  know  what  the 
next  page  will  reveal  only  as  we  can  guess.  But  we  have  arrived 
at  the  stage  in  the  evolution  and  progress  of  the  world  where 
scientists,  those  who  are  mathematicians,  can  calculate  with  cer- 
tainty, barring  war,  famine  and  pestilence,  and  even  making 
allowances  for  all  these,  when  the  world  will  be  fully  populated, 
the  Bible  tells  us  what  this  will  bring  about.  The  Scriptures 
and  prophecies  will  have  hjsen  fulfilled.  Space  in  heaven  is  not 
illimitable.  Only  the  alloted  portion  there  can  go.  Who  are 
they?  Aye,  there's  the  rub.  None  but  the  pure  in  heart,  the 
sins  of  those  that  are  sinful,  and  they  are  all,  are  forgiven.  There 
is  no  further  procreation,  no  crowding  there." 

Not  knowing  anyone  was  present  or  hearing  him,  and  even 
unmindful  of  it,  Alpha  arose  from  his  desk  and  continued  as  he 
paced  the  floor : 

"  Has  not  Saint  John, 
With  pat,  prophetic  sportiveness,  forestalled 
That  heaven  offered  Understanding's  prize, 
In  having  told  the  number  of  the  beast 
To  be  six  hundred  and  three  score  and  six? 
But,  since  thyself,  though  once,  canst  never  more 
Be  one  of  those  odd  hundred  thousand  saints, 
Who  were,  on  earth,  with  woman  undefiled, 
And  shalt  not  mumble  that  new  song,  nor  be 
A  hardv  harper  harping  on  thy  harp. 
But  rather  deemst,  that  if  thv  kind  were  made, 
To  trust  for  their  eternitv  such  thus, 
As  there  revealed,  it  would  be  better  far, 


A  Brilliant  Mind's  Vagaries.  311 

If  man  were  such  a  saint,  and,  in  his  quit 

Of  procreation,  made  an  end  of  man, 

We  shall  reverse  its  parting  bid,  and  say  : 

'  Let  him,  who's  filthy,  purge  his  filthiness.' 
"  O,  thou  unpractical 

Canst  neither  speculate,  nor  realize, 

And  being  unconverted,  never  canst 
'  Convert  what  thou  do'st  own  into  applause  ! 

Why  be  not  by  thy  country's  yeomen  schooled? 

They  have,  to  fraction  of  a  mill,  upon 

The  slate  of  speculation  ciphered  out 

The  worth  comparative  of  corn  and  pork 

And  then  alacriously  converted  their  grain 

To  living  flesh  and  blood,  when  they  perceive 

That  the  proportion's  scale  inclines  to  swine. 

If  thou  but  heed,  the  counsel  speaks  itself  ; 

It  is,  that,  relatively,  thou  compute 

The  market  value  of  the  books  thou  ownst, 

And  then  the  worth's  increase,  thy  brain  will  gain 

By  being  phosphorated  with  the  food, 

The  fish  and  mutton  head,  to  which  thou  mayst 

Convert  thy  books. 
51  I  now  own  life,  yet  if  I  were  endowed 

With  length  of  years,  to  be  earth's  oldest  Man, 

There  comes  the  time  when  I  must  give  it  up, 

And  in  exchange  shall  get,  what  Death  may  yield. 

It  now  is  night,  and  how,  were  I  to  die — 

This  very  moment  ?    Then,  what  in  the  next  ? 

There  lies  the  line,  as  narrow  as  a  breath, 

And  yet  as  wide,  as  that  Eternity  ! 

I  now  am  here,  and  in  the  body  thus  : 

But  where,  and  what,  when  ousted  of  this  hold  ? 

Naught  recks  that  nice  incline,  by  which  a  soul 

Is  tossed  to  heaven,  or  slid  down  to  hell  ; 

The  Resurrection  of  the  body,  and 

That  Judgment  Day  ?     What  comfort  do  they  give  ? 

What  to  ease  do  they  answer  make  ? 

"  Where  and  what,  the  gap  unknown,  between 

This  certain  present,  and  that  doubtful  Then  ? 

My  soul,  I  cannot  palter  with  thy  quest?  " 

Walking  the  while  up  and  down  his  chamber,  at  length  along 
the  corridors  of  his  spacious  house,  then  halting  in  his  library, 
Millyard  again  meditated  thus,  aloud : 

"  O,  God  !  from  that  time  when  Man  on  Earth  Thy  Image  was— 
That  time  before  his  fabled  Fall. — 
O,  Man  ?  from  speculation  turn  thy  spanding  mind, 
Let  it  not  wreak  nor  wreck  its  own, 


312  The  Lady  of  New  Orleans. 

'Till  of  life's  lore  it  has  its  fill. 
O,  Soul,  palter  not,  yearn  on,  list  not 
Whether  that  Divinity  fell  with  the  Fall  of  Man 
If  thou  art  bodied  still  in  that  Image  of  thy  God. 

"  I  perceive  I  cannot  trust  myself.  My  mind  is  not  its  own. 
It  wanders  in  queer  pastures  where  the  graze  for  it  is  not  the 
best.  I  must  quell  it.  Control  it.  Here  I  am  in  this  house  with 
my  dear  boy  and  darling  girl ;  I  must  get  a  tutor  for  them  at 
once.  Their  mother  gorwe*,  their  loving  grandmother  gone,  and, 
O  my  God !  how  she  went.  Well,  Mike,  by  Jove !  I  am  glad 
you've  come.  My  mind  h«s  beJ&n  rurwiing  wild,  wild,  yes,  wild, 
rioting  with  me.  I  need  someone  to  read  it  the  great  English 
riot  act.  Poetry,  blank  verse,  everything !  of  all  sorts,  and,  some 
that's  not  so  blank,  have  been  waging  war  in  my  aching  head." 
Delarue  did  not  intend  to  disturb  him,  but  Alpha  chanced  to  get 
in  view  where  he  was  hiding. 

;'  I  am  glad  I  arrived  at  such  opportune  time,"  returned  Mike. 
"  Gellius  would  have  pronounced  you  a  classic.  Bang  loose  and 
quote  some  more." 

"That  is  the  very  thing  I  desire  not  to  da"  retorted  Alpha. 
"  Gellius  lived  when  classics  were  yet  a  name.  I  wish  to  keep 
my  mind  unimpaired,  as  they  say  of  the  right  of  trial  by  jury. 
Here  I  am  one  of  the  wealthy  men  of  the  world ;  with  enormous 
investments  and  hundreds  of  millions  of  dollars  in  cash  in  banks 
ready  to  invest  and  just  as  I  have  acquired  it,  and  thought  I  was 
ready  to  be  happy,  afflictions,  Mike,  yea,  afflictions,  I  will  not 
raise  Job's  standard  by  comparing,  have  come  upon  me  so 
ponderous  that  their  abode  upon  me  bodes  the  dethronement  of 
my  reason,  and  the  leaving  of  my  mind  blanker  than  the  verse. 
Mind  the  only  source  of  happiness.  Dethrone  it.  Scour  it  in 
the  air  and  waft  it  oil  the  winds.  Leave  of  me  a  scuttled  wreck, 
a  wreck  of  misery.  Have  I  sense  enough  to  evolute  an  idea 
if  I  had  a  confrontation  with  one  of  the  iron-bound,  iconoclastic, 
ideal-shattering  things  in  the  middle  of  a  cyclone  in  a  sand 
desert  ?  The  evolution  of  a  thought  is  a  signboard  to  knowledge. 
The  evolution  of  an  idea  is  the  selection  of  the  right  road  at  the 
parting  of  the  roads  on  the  way  to  the.  Parish  seat  of  learning; 
and  the  evolution  of  the  two  at  the  confluent  leads  out  on  the 
placid  basin  of  Science,  where  Knowledge,  Wisdom,  Understand- 
ing, Intuition,  yea,  Intuition,  Discernment,  Comprehension  and 


A  Brilliant  Mind's  Vagaries.  313 

Judgment  form  a  circle,  a  coterie,  a  monopoly,  a  band  of  com- 
panions whose  combined  capacity  and  practical  philosophy  dis- 
cerns the  dim  but  golden  colored  spot  that  flickers  in  the  grand 
panorama  of  Truth.  Alive,  some  men  are  absolutely,  or  very 
near,  ridiculous,  and,  dead,  are  quite  or  completely  disremembered. 
Ah,  me !  The  sooner  we  die  the  sooner  we  get  to  Paradise, 
Mike.  But,  I  was  just  saying:  I  want  a  tutor  for  my  children; 
do  you  know  of  anyone?  Get  me  a  good  man  for  the  place 
as  soon  as  you  can.  He  must  come  and  live  here.  He  will  help 
to  keep  my  mind  occupied ;  cheer  me  up  from  despondency,  the 
glumps,  the  darling  slumps.  I  prefer  an  elderly  man ;  some 
bachelor  college  professor." 

"  I  know  the  very  man,"  responded  Delarue,  who  had  been 
very  quiet.  "  Professor  Dimmetry.  I  will  see  him  in  the 
morning." 

"  Cosmos?  "  cried  Alpha.  "  The  very  man!  A  very  Hercules 
of  a  learned  man.  And  a  great  friend  of  my  wife  and  her 
mother.  Mike,"  began  Millyard,  confidingly,  "  if  it  should  be- 
come necessary  that  I  take  a  little  course  in  a  private  institution 
for  those  afflicted  such  as  myself  I  want  you  to  manage  my  busi- 
ness affairs  for  me.  To  that  end  I  am  coming  to  the  bank  in 
the  morning  and  make  my  power  of  attorney  to  you.  Have 
Goetchieus  or  Caldwell  there  to  draw  up  the  papers  for  me." 

'  Where  do  you  get  the  poetry  you  were  reciting  a  while  ago?  " 
asked  Mike,  smiling 

"  Get  it  ?  In  the  air.  The  air  breeds  it,  if  vou  inhale  it 
aright." 

It  was  after  eleven  o'clock  when  Delarue  departed,  leaving 
Millyard  much  improved  in  spirits.  The  presence  of  Mr.  Dela- 
rue seemed  ever  to  enliven  him,  and  ooi  this  occasion  it  was  very 
perceptible. 


314  The  Lady  of  New  Orleans. 


CHAPTER  LIII. 

DELARUE  HUMORING  MILLYARD. 

Next  morning  shortly  after  nine  o'clock,  Mr.  Millyard  arrived 
at  the  bank,  accompanied  by  De  Ampbert  and  Mittie,  with  Sarah, 
the  maid. 

"  I  am  glad  to  see  you  down  so  soon,  Alpha,  and  that  you  have 
the  children,"  said  Delarue  meeting  them  at  the  carriage.  "  Let 
Louis  take  them  up  to  the  house  to  see  my  wife  and  the  children." 

Millyard  was  met  by  the  cashier,  Mr.  Varnelle.  and  subse- 
quently by  all  the  clerks  of  the  bank  and  the  lawyers  in  cordial 
greeting. 

"  Is  it  advisable  for  you  to  make  your  power  of  attorney  at 
present?"  asked  Judge  Caldwell.  "We  have  just  been  discuss- 
ing the  matter,  and  about  come  to  the  conclusion  that  you  are 
fully  competent  to  attend  to  your  own  business ;  even  more  so 
than  all  of  us  put  together." 

"  There,  there,  I  am  glad  to  hear  you  say  that,"  exclaimed 
Millyard,  quickly.  "  I  know  then  that  I  am  competent  to  make 
my  power  of  attorney.  Unsoundness  of  mind  cannot  be  alleged 
without  being  met  with  competent  evidence  to  the  contrary. 
T  will  not  submit  to  a  guardianship  only  by  Mike." 

"  We  had  concluded."  said  Delarue.  "  that  it  would  be  best 
to  wait  awhile,  because  your  business  is  so  vast  and  in  such  em- 
bryotic  condition,  just  commenced  consolidating  railroads  and  so 
forth,  that  you  alone  know  what  you  want." 

"  Yes,  that  is  it ;  I  know  what  I  want,"  replied  Alpha.  "  And 
I  know  you  can  do  it.  after  I  tell  you  how.  I  shall  make  my 
power  of  attorney  now  while  I  am  competent  to  make  it ;  also 
my  will.  Then  I  will  leave  the  power  of  attorney  in  the  keeping 
of  these  two  lawyers  to  be  handed  by  them  to  you  if  I  do  become 
incapable  of  conducting  my  business." 


Delarue  Humoring  Millyard.  315 

"  That  will  do,"  said  Goeticheus,  "  that  covers  the  case." 

"  Sensible  to  the  last,"  added  Judge  Caldwell. 

The  instrument  under  seal  attested  by  a  notary  public  giving 
the  full  power  of  attorney  of  Alpha  Millyard  to  Mike  Delarue 
without  revocation  until  recovery  of  health  and  vigor,  to  manage 
all  of  his  business  affairs  the  same  as  himself,  was  handed  to  the 
lawyers.  The  will  was  also  duly  executed  and  deposited  by  Mill- 
yard  in  one  of  his  private  vaults  in  the  bank. 

"  Here  is  a  telegram  for  you,  Alpha,"  said  Mike. 

"  Sign  for  me,  Mike,  and  see  who  it  is  from."  he  replied. 

"  Mr.  Alpha  Millyard :  Your  private  coach  shipped  to-day. 
Letter  by  mail.     (Signed)   Pullman  Palace  Car  Co." 

"  It  will  be  here  in  three  days,"  said  Millyard.  '  Then,  as 
soon  as  I  can  have  it  stocked  with  provisions  and  everything 
necessary,  and  pack  my  trunks,  Mike,  you  must  go  with  me  to 
New  York.  I  will  take  my  children.  Why  do  people  persist 
in  saying  shipped,  when  it  is  railed?    Shipped  is  a  misnomer." 

"  Here  is  another  telegram  for  you,"  said  Mike,  "  it  is  from 
New  York.  '  Wire  when  you  can  be  here.  Important.  (Signed) 
Ferdenard  Wolfe.'  " 

"  He  is  one  of  my  brokers,"  said  Millyard.  "  Telegraph  him 
I  cannot  leave  here  until  Monday.  Wire  me  skeleton  nature  of 
business." 

The  doctors  advised  Delarue  not  to  let  Mr.  Millyard  know  any- 
thing about  business  matters,  but  to  humor  his  whims  in  all 
things. 

Mr.  Millyard's  combination  sleeping  coach  and  buffet  arrived 
in  due  time.  His  valet-butler  and  his  French  chef  were  put 
in  charge.  They  had  everything  necessary  provided  in  all  de- 
partments by  Monday  morning,  at  which  time  the  party,  includ- 
ing Mr.  Delarue,  left  for  New  York. 

Either  grief  and  melancholia,  or  the  maze  of  business  in  which 
he  engaged  in  New  York,  began  to  affect  Millyard  quickly  and 
seriously.  Mr.  Delarue  discovered  it  at  once  and  began  arrang- 
ing for  a  speedy  return  to  New  Orleans. 

"  I  am  arranging  for  us  to  leave  here  in  the  morning,  Alpha," 
said  Mike  when  they  sat  down  for  dinner  at  their  hotel. 

"  Mike,  I  am  about  to  buy  a  couple  of  pieces  of  property  in 
Broadway,"  Millyard  responded  after  he  had  given  his  order  for 


316  The  Lady  of  New  Orleans. 

dinner.  "  I  am  to  examine  the  property  in  the  morning  and  you 
must  go  with  me."' 

"  I  thought  you  had  all  your  business  attended  to?  " 

"  Well,  I  would  remain  here  longer  were  I  not  wearied,"  said 
Alpha  absentmindedly.  "  I  have  a  good  use  for  this  property. 
We  can  leave  here  in  the  afternoon  ;  if  the  lawyers  report  the 
titles  good  I  can  attend  to  the  matter  from  Xew  Orleans." 

"Why  not  go  into  a  private  sanitarium  here,  Alpha?"  asked 
Mike  timidly.  "  I  believe  you  would  soon  come  round  all 
right." 

"  No,"  replied  Alpha ;  "  if  I  do  not  remain  in  New  Orleans  I 
shall  go  to  Paris." 

Louis  and  Sarah,  having  finished  their  dinner,  sent  for  the 
children.  Millyard  and  Delarue  remained  at  the  table  to  sip 
champagne  or  coffee. 

"  Alpha,  I  like  your  railroad  scheme." 

"  I  think  I  got  those  gentlemen  to  understand  it,"  returned 
Alpha.  "  If  I  did  they  need  not  again  require  me  here ;  at  least 
for  several  months.     What  do  you  think  about  that  ?  " 

"  That  is  my  judgment,"  responded  Delarue.  "  You  told  them 
just  exactly  what  you  require  to  be  done,  and  that  if  they  do  it 
that  way,  and  make  Smith  president  and  put  me  and  one  other 
man  from  New  Orleans  on  the  board  of  directors,  you  would  take 
sixty-five  millions  of  the  bonds  and  twenty  millions  of  the  pre- 
ferred stock  at  the  prices  named.  Also,  that  possibly  you  would 
take  a  large  block  of  the  common  stock.  There  is  nothing  else 
now  for  you  to  do  or  say  in  *he  matter.  Let  them  work  it. 
They  are  only  too  glad  to  do  it  in  order  to  save  themselves." 

"  I  am  of  opinion  they  would  have  been  willing  to  pledge  me 
a  majority  of  the  common  at  fifteen,"  said  Alpha.  "  But  I  upset 
that  scheme  by  requiring  that  the  bondholders  should  be  allowed 
to  elect  five  directors  and  the  preferred  three  and  the  common 
stock  one  director,  who  shall  hold  the  offices  for  only  five  years. 
After  which  time  the  common  shall  have  control  and  elect  five 
and  the  preferred  four  directors ;  their  term  to  be  only  one  year 
thenceforward.  I  think  common  will  eventually  go  to  thirty- 
five,  probably  forty,  but  it  will  open  on  the  market  at  about  nine 
or  ten.  It  will  be  three  or  four  years  before  common  gets  a 
dividend.  That  is  my  reason  for  giving  them  control  after  five 
years ;  so  the  holders  of  common  can  work  up  to  a  dividend  after 


Delarue  Humoring  Millyard.  317 

the  others  get  it  in  physical  condition.  I  would  not  submit  to 
a  voting  trust.  They  are  ultra  vires.  Nor  would  I  own  stock 
iii  a  company  that  is  controlled  by  a  voting  trust.  It  is  un- 
American  in  principle,  and  places  a  man  in  the  plight  of  being 
without  a  voice  in  the  control  of  his  property." 

"  Alpha,  you  are  all  right;  especially  as  long  as  you  are  talking 
business,"  said  Delarue.  "  It  is  only  when  you  get  off  of  busi- 
ness matters  that  you  are  flighty,  wandering  and  dejected." 

"  I  know  it,  Mike ;  these  things  are  apparent  to  me  as  well 
as  to  you.  I  feel  them.  But  I  hate  business,  it  reacts  on  me.  I 
must  look  up  something  else  to  do  when  I  get  back  to  New 
Orleans.  I  have  in  my  mind  the  undertaking  of  writing  a  drama 
or  tragedy  for  the  stage.  The  subject  is  founded  upon,  not 
adapted  from,  the  life  of  Aaron  Burr." 

"  A  famous  subject.  The  greatest  in  American  history.  By 
all  means  do  it !  "  exclaimed  Delarue,  enthusiastically ;  not  alone 
to  encourage  Millyard,  but  because  he  believed  it  to  be  true. 

"  In  the  morning  I  will  buy  a  copy  of  every  book  I  can  find 
that  has  anything  about  Burr,"  said  Alpha,  "  and  read  fully 
everything  about  him  the  first  thing;  then  I  can  go  ahead  and 
write.  Burr  is  the  most  maligned  man  in  American  history. 
Thomas  Jefferson's  hand  in  it  is  not  creditable,  any  more  than 
is  Hamilton's." 

After  a  stay  of  nearly  two  weeks  the  party  left  New  York  the 
next  afternoon  bound  for  New  Orleans.  Delarue  occasionally 
enlivened  Millyard  by  talking  about  his  railroad  schemes  ;  real 
estate  purchase  in  Broadway ;  what  would  be  the  best  to  do  with 
it,  and  other  matters. 

Next  morning  Delarue  had  Louis  get  out  the  books  about 
Aaron  Burr.  Fortunately  there  was  an  alcove  for  books  in  the 
coach ;  in  this  the*  books  were  placed.  Then  Millyard  began 
reading  as  they  journeyed  homeward.  He  seemed  completely 
absorbed  in  his  new  task. 

Next  day  after  arriving  in  New  Orleans,  Millyard  repaired  to 
the  bank  and  transacted  an  enormous  amount  of  business.  The 
next  day  he  did  not  appear  outside  of  his  residence.  A  week 
hence  and  he  had  not  been  out.  In  fact  he  had  seen  no  one 
outside  of  his  household,  except  Delarue,  who  called  every  even- 
ing. His  secretary,  Emmett  Erwin,  was  kept  busy  taking  notes 
and  making  extracts.     Alpha's  entire  attention  was  devoted  to 


3i8  The  Lady  of  New  Orleans. 

absorbing  all  he  read  about  whom  he  called :  "  The  great  hounded 
American  man  of  Destiny,  who  missed  by  falsehood  and  over- 
powering official  weight  being  the  greatest  of  them  all." 

During  weeks  and  weeks  Millyard  continued  thus.  Melan- 
cholia, the  demon  of  unrest ;  the  father  of  sleepless  nights  and 
dreaming  days,  morbidly  held  him  as  its  own.  Late  one  evening 
in  sheer  despair  he  was  pacing  about  his  library  room  reciting: 

"  Peace !  I  had  more  when  I  had  none.  Aye,  nothing  else ; 
only  ten  cents.  I  can  do  but  good  or  evil  with  all  my  wealth; 
but  do  good  I  will,  -it  does  me  none.  I  need  only  enough  for 
my  children ;  just  sufficient  to  make  them  happy  without  being 
dependent.  Ah.  Plato!  I  say  with  Cato,  you  reasoned  well 
Else  whence  this  disappointing  hope  and  effervescing,  boiling- 
over  woe?  " 

Mr.  Erwin,  his  secretary,  pretended  to  be  writing,  but  he  was 
watching  and  listening  to  Mr.  Millyard,  who,  continuing  to  pace, 
went  on : 

"  Evolved  from  Thought  of  God, 
So  near  in  make,  His  image  is, 
Man  flush  ush'd  into  this  Earth, 
The  nursery  of  his  biding  hence, 
And  studying  here  in  uncertain  term, 
Aware  or  heedless  of  his  furthering  in, 
Urged  or  lured,  the  charm  of  life 
In  either  cast.,  stalks  boldly  forth 
And  reasons  'bout  the  plans  of  God 
As  if  he  -were  Maker  too." 

At  that  juncture  Delarue.  who  had  come  in  the  house  unan- 
nounced, as  usual,  entered  the  library  door  and  exclaimed : 

"Heigh-ho!  more  poetry.  I  am  glad  to  see  you  enjoying 
yourself." 

"  Well,  it  is  some  relief,  I  admit,"  quickly  retorted  Millyard. 
'  But  it  is.  that  which  produces  the  seeming  enjoyment  which  I 
dislike.  T  must  get  over  it.  under  it.  or  out  of  it.  I  will  tell 
you,  Mike,  what  I  want :  I  want  to  be  up  at  Johnnie's  with  you; 
have  ten  dollars  in  my  pocket,  say,  inside,  and  not  know  where 
I  could  get  another  cent,  unless  from  some  man  who  owed  me  a 
forty-dollar- fee  and  would  not  pay.  Then  I  could  banish  dull 
careand  all  else  beside  from  my  mind  for  a  rare  old  time  dis- 
cussing the  poets  and  repeating  them  word  for  word,  and  page 


Delarue  Humoring  Millyard.  3*9 

by  page,  for  weeks  at  a  time.  I  have  plenty  of  everything  to 
drink,  here  in  the  house,  Mike,  but  let's  go  up  tq  Johnnie's  and 
enjoy  ourselves  once  more?  I  think  it  will  take  a  weight  off  my 
mind  and  cause  my  brain  cells  to  link  again,  then  I  would  feel 
better,  if  I  were  not  in  fact." 

"  I  will  have  to  send  my  wife  word,"  replied  Mike. 

Stepping  into  the  hallway  Millyard  called  Louis  and  told  him 
to  tell  the"  coachman  to  bring  out  one  of  the  carriages  immedi- 
ately.    Then  turning  to  Delarue  he  continued : 

"  Mike,  sit  down  there  and  write  your  wife  a  note  stating  that 
you  will  line  with  me  this  evening.  I  will  send  it  to  her  by 
the  coachman  while  we  are  at  Johnnie's." 

"  How  is  Colonel  Aaron  Burr  ?  "  asked  Delarue  as  he  pro- 
ceeded to  write  the  note. 

"  I  leave  off  the  colonel,"  politely  bowing,  said  Alpha.  "  Aaron 
Burr,  if  you  please,  is  getting  along  famously.  Mike,  he  was  the 
most  extraordinary  man  of  America.  The  r  lly  other  man  who 
can  figure  alongside  of  him  in  brains  is  Thomas  Paine,  whose 
writings  bearing  for  Independence  I  intend  to  have  bound  de 
luxe  in  gold  embossed  with  Hiddenite  gems.  I  am  now  ready 
to  commence  my  Burr  tragedy.  It  ought  to  be  in  five  acts,  but 
I  shall  crowd  it  into  four.  I  will  have  Mr.  Erwin  come  and 
live  here  in  the  house  so  he  will  be  on  hand  that  I  may  dictate 
whenever  the  inspiration,  or,  as  Byron  called  it,  '  the  estro  strikes 


me.'  " 


"  Of  course,  that  is  the  very  idea.  I  am  glad  you  will  do 
that,"  said  Delarue,  desiring  to  be  as  cheerful  as  possible,  and 
sincerely  believing  the  scheme  to  be  sufficient  to  soon  restore 
Millyard  to  his  wonted  self. 

"  Mike,  I  was  reading  a  semi-sipid  article  in  the  magazine 
there,  by  a  Professor  in  a  University,  slurring  at  Ben  Franklin. 
The  self-opinionated  Professor  of  some  sort  of  ology  (Louis 
calls  the  blacksmith  who  shoes  my  horses  Professor),  says 
Franklin  perverted  the  minds  of  the  people  of  this  country,  and 
that  it  will  require  several  more  generations,  probably  some 
more  Pofessors,  like  him,  foreign  educated,  to  eradicate  the  great 
evil  done  by  Franklin.  Every  man  has  a  right  to  his  opinion, 
and  has  the  right  to  express  it,  provided  it  is  not  in  Kentucky 
or  Texas,  sometimes  Georgia,  if  it  is  unorthodox,  but  I  am  Ken- 
tuckian  enough,  if  not  a  Texan,  to  say :  that  fellow,  he  is  a  fellow, 


320  The  Lady  of  New  Orleans. 

if  not  of  the  Academy  and  only  a  Professor,  I  say,  his  relatives 
and  friends  should  take  care  of  him  tenderly,  and  feed  him  a 
few  seasons  on  fried  mutton,  boiled  oysters,  stewed  fish  and 
rare,  very  rarely,  broiled  eels.  The  diet  is  said  to  be  good  for 
many  brain  diseases." 


End  to  Which  we  Come.  321 


CHAPTER  LIV. 

END  TO  WHICH   WE  COME. 

The  two  physically  disproportioned  gentlemen,  Alpha  Mill- 
yard  and  Mike  Delarue,  one  now  portly,  the  other  tall  and  slender, 
the  former  recently  having  become  thin  and  pallid,  were  tint  long 
in  arriving  at  Johnnie's  cafe.  The  coachman  was  despatched 
with  Delarue's  note  to  his  wife. 

The  original  "  Johnnie  "  being  dead,  his  business  was  now  con- 
ducted by  his  son  Johnnie,  who  was  a  medium  sized  young 
gentleman ;  fat,  florid-faced  and  jolly ;  married  about  two  years ; 
wife  handsome,  with  rosy  Irish-American  cheeks ;  proving  her 
Irish  blood  by  her  vivacity.  Little  Johnnie  was  invited  to  join 
them ;  which  he  did.     They  were  seated  at  a  table  to  themselves. 

"  I  say,  Johnnie  Number  Two,  does  this  sort  of  shop  suit  your 
taste  and  conserve  to  the  tastes  of  your  best  and  most  valuable, 
patrons?"  inquired  Millyard. 

"No;  it  really  does  not,"  he  answered.  "For  instance;  such 
gentlemen  as  you  and  Mr.  Delarue  are  not  afforded  that  kind 
of  privacy  and  liberty  that  you  should  enjoy." 

"  Would  you  change  it?  "  demanded  Millyard. 

"  Yes,  I  would  have  it  much  more  elegant." 

"  Mike,  buy  this  property  for  me  to-morrow ;  I  will  see  that 
it  is  not  changed.  I  want  this  rendezvous  of  ours,  wherein  we 
supped  the  sack  in  quietude,  if  in  distressing,  turbulent  days,  and 
had  our  most  joyous  moments,  continued  in  statue  quo.  I  mean 
this  for  sure.  And  Johnnie,  as  for  you,  what  will  you  take  for 
yourself?  I  want  to  keep  this  shop  just  as  it  is  for  Mike  and 
myself." 

"  Mr.   Millyard,   I  will  do  anything  you   say ;  or  anything  I 
imagine  you  want  me  to  do,  if  Mr.  Delarue  will  sanction  it." 
Even  Johnnie  knew  his  condition. 
21 


2,22  The  Lady  of  New  Orleans. 

"  My  sanction  and  say  so  then  is  not  sufficient  ?  "  vehemently 
said  Millyard. 

"  O,  I  mean  by  that/'  quickly  responded  little  Johnnie,  "  you 
and  Mr.  Delarue  are  so  much  jointly  interested  in  this  matter, 
and  he  has  so  much  your  welfare  at  heart  that  I  suppose  it 
would  be  necessary  to  have  the  approval  of  you  both."  This  was 
neatly  said. 

"  Mike,  he  is  a  solid  Muldoon.  Suppose  I  buy  the  property 
and  give  it  to  him,  as  a  present?  Provided,  he  will  give  us 
lunches  and  champagne  and  'af  'n  'af,  as  long  as  we  live?" 

"  If  you  do  that  you  shall  never  regret  it,"  responded  the 
honest  son  of  Erin  and  the  original  Johnnie. 

"  Mike,  make  the  trade ;  I  will  pay  the  money  and  sign  the 
papers." 

"  I  shall  be  the  proudest  man  in  New  Orleans,"  proclaimed 
Johnnie ;  "  and  Kate  and  my  mother  will  come  and  kiss  you." 

Two  days  later  Millyard  paid  the  money  for  the  property  in 
question,  and  then  signed  a  deed  conveying  it  to  John  McCrystal 
in  fee  simple  for  one  dollar  in  hand  paid.' 

Mr.  Millyard  had  not  been,  out  of  his  mansion  since  the  even- 
ing he  was  at  Johnnie's  with  Delarue  a  week  previous,  when 
just  after  dinner,  while  seated  in  his  library,  wthout  being  an- 
nounced, a  number  of  persons  suddenly  rushed  in  the  room. 
They  were  Mike  Delarue,  his  wife,  Johnnie  McCrystal  with  his 
handsome  wife,  Kate  and  Johnnie's  mother. 

Mr.  Millyard  was  reclining  in  his  easy  chair,  his  two  children 
playing  near ;  Mr.  Erwin  at  his  desk,  writing ;  Louis,  the  valet, 
sitting  in  a  corner,  while  Sarah,  the  maid,  and  the  two  nurses, 
were  collecting  an  indiscriminate  lot  of  playthings  for  children 
in  the  adjoining  room,  as  plainly  could  be  seen  through  the  open 
folding  door  when  they  entered. 

Mrs.  Kate  "  Johnnie  "  McCrystal  sprang  upon  Mr.  Millyard 
and  commenced  kissing  him,  saying: 

"  There,  count  that  one  a  thousand  and  this  one  two  thousand, 
and  this  one  three  thousand.  May  the  Lord  bless  you !  You  are 
such  a  good  man  !  " 

"Gracious,  Johnnie,  is  this  your  wife?"  blurted  Millyard, 
during  a  lull.  "  By  Jove!  she's  a  kisser.  And  handsome?  Yea, 
very." 


End  to  Which  We  Come.  323 

"  Kate,  kiss  him  again  for  saying  that,"  Johnnie  exclaimed,  as 
he  proceeded  to  hold  Mr.  Millyard  in  position  for  the  perform- 
ance. 

Kate  then  administered  several  additional  kisses. 

"  Johnnie,''  said  Millyard,  "  her  argument  is  good  sound 
logic.     It  is  calculated  to  cure  ills." 

Meantime  Mrs.  Arrebelle  Delarue  was  demonstrating  consid- 
erable hilarity.  In  the  environs  Mr.  Mike  Delarue  apparently 
endeavored  to  manipulate  a  jig  with  his  body  and  arms  without 
the  responsive  proceedings  on  the  part  of  his  legs  and  feet.  The 
good  old  grey-haired,  grey-whiskered  doctor  who  was  attending 
Millyard,  came  in  and  stood  stiff  as  a  granite  statue  of  George 
Washington  looking  at  what  the  politicians  call  the  wreck  of  his 
country.  With  arms  akimbo,  and  gloriously  inflated  eyes,  he  at 
length  gently  smiled.     It  was  a  picture. 

The  two  little  children  of  Mr.  Millyard  chattered  French  in 
great  glee.  It  seemed  to  be  the  general  desire  of  those  kind- 
hearted  people  to  make  Mr.  Millyard  cheerful ;  resurrect  him 
from  the  thrall  of  despondency  which  they  knew  was  besieging 
and  about  to  engulf  his  mind. 

"  Mike,"  said  Millyard,  standing  erect  and  looking  Mike  in 
the  eye,  "  and  you  ladies  and  gentlemen,  my  friends,  which  is  at- 
tested by  your  presence  and  this  approved  demonstration,  have 
arrived  at  the  most  opportune  time  for  me.  You  have,  seemingly 
to  me,  precluded  my  last  chance,  as  it  were,  to  become  the  inmate 
of  an  institution  for  persons  who  have  over-much  absorbed  dull 
care,  and  who  have  thereby  somewhat  lost  control  of  the  equi- 
librium of  their  ambition,  faculties " 

"  Now,  Mr.  Millyard,"  interjected  Mrs.  Delarue,  "  you 
are "     She  was  in  turn  interrupted  by  Millyard  : 

"  My  dear  Madame  Delarue,  I  see  that  you  are  misconstruing 
the  idea  intended  to  be  conveyed.  You  know  ideas  have  sense  in 
them  as  well  as  grown  folks.  I  do  not  claim  to  be  able  to  attend 
to  my  business  affairs  without  the  assistance  of  the  sound,  solid, 
sensible  advice  of  my  wife.  But  you  see,  my  wife  is  not  any  fur- 
ther with  me  in  this  life ;  she  is  gone.  Yes,  gone.  And  she  is 
not  coming  back.  She  caused  me  to  promise  that  I  would  not 
marrv  agfain " 


*■&' 


'  Yes,  I  know,"  interrupted  Mrs.  Delarue :  "  but  it  was  under 
limitations.     You  must  not  brood  over  that." 


324  The  Lady  of  New  Orleans. 

"  Brood  ?  "  he  smiled  sardonically,  then  went  on  :  "  Phi-losoph- 
ically,  as  well  as  phil-osophically,  speaking  both  ways,  that  may 
be  true.  But,  do  you  not  also  know  that  there  are  links  in  life 
and  hitching  posts,  as  well  as  chas-ams  and  can-yons  ?  Turn  but 
a  fibrous  space  and  the  whole  future  course  is  changed.  You 
may  plunge  into  a  rock-bottom  gulf.  Look  at  it  for  yourself. 
My  marital  relations  were  far  different  from  those  of  other 
people.  This  fact  has  been  forced  on  me  not  of  my  own  seek- 
ing. Bereft,  so  distressingly,  peculiarly  bereft,  the  manner  and 
method  is  what  stings ;  bereft,  I  say,  of  those  two  persons  of  all 
other  persons  who  afforded  me  comfort  in  life,  I  am  left  in  such 
condition  that,  although  possessed  of  vast  wealth,  I  have  not  that 
solace  so  essential  to  happiness.  In  fact,  I  am  tortured  in  mind. 
Upon  my  soul,  I  believe  I  am  an  instrument  of  example  to  illus- 
trate an  evil  that  exists.  If  you  ladies  and  gentlemen,  my 
friends,  take  upon  yourselves  to  make  it  pleasant  for  me,  strew 
flowers  in  my  path,  my  appreciation  shall  not  be  wanting  in  sub 
stantial  manifestation." 

"  Mr.  Millyard,"  said  Kate,  the  lovely  and  beautiful  wife  of 
Johnnie,  "  you  shall  from  this  time  forth  have  all  the  care  and 
attention  that  I  can  render.  I  want  you  to  make  Johnnie  and 
myself  your  servants,  to  do  just  anything  you  want  done." 

"  Eh  ?  You  hear  that  ?  "  asked'  Johnnie.  "  Egad,  that's  the 
law  in  our  family.     I  told  you  she  was  boss." 

"  Do  you  perceive  a  method  for  me  to  extricate  myself  from 
these  dumps,  these  dumpling  dumps,  these  darling  dumps? 
You  do  not  know  how  I  feel  ?  I  feel  like — not  how  he  feels,  but 
how  he  looks,  who  is  riding  backwards  on  a  substitute  horse,  a 
ship  of  the  desert,  with  a  hump  and  a  sliding  rump,  and  who 
himself  has  a  hump  on  his  back,  the  nature  and  feasibility  of 
which  is  to  counterpoise  or  balance  the  hump-backed  animal  and 
its  load." 

"  What  have  we  done  ?  Run  for  the  gun !  "  exclaimed  Mike, 
jumping  behind  the  desk,  adding :  "  Alpha,  this  is  sort  of  a  storm 
party.  You  have  heard  of  these  cake  festivals  where  a  dollar 
and  a  half  lets  you  in  and  not  a  cent  to  go  out?  " 

"Hear!  hear!"  exclamed  Millyard.  "You  have  inverted  the 
ratio.  You  mean  nothing  to  go  in  and  all  you  have  to  go  out. 
Sarah,  tell  the  butler  to  bring  in  the  wine  room.  As  I  was  go- 
ing to  say — what  was  I  going  to  say  ?    Shucks !    Am  I  that  bad 


End  to  Which  We  Come.  325 

off?     Or  on?     Or  in?     Or  out?     Excuse  haste  and  a  bad  pen. 
I  might,  would,  or  should  have  said : 

Truth  is  old  and  meekly  reverent ; 
Novel  error  through  all  ages  blooms  ; 
Man,  for  fabled  hell  ignores  the  real. 

"  Think  of  it,"  he  went  on.  "  Still— but  let  that  pass,  like  the 
procession.  As  you  all  know,  I  am  no  sycophantic  or  abusive 
person.  I  say,  as  said  Wolsey,  so  alleged:  '  Be  just ' — no,  I  will 
not  quote  Wolsey.  He  was  an  old  reprobate.  Meanwhile  I 
may  as  well  also  submit  and  admit  that  it  depends  altogether 
whether  one's  estimate  and  analysis  of  a  reprobate  be  the  correct 
one.  There  is  a  squad  of  men  on  every  corner.  Some  person 
over  there  on  the  other  corner  may  dispute  the  proposition,  and 
add  that  you  are  crazy.  I  would  like  to  know  what  he  knows 
about  it,  and  who  is  to  decide  his  sanity.  They  say  it  takes  a 
thief  to  catch  a  thief.  The  chap  turns  round  and  makes  the  same 
assertion  about  the  other.  Where  is  the  jury?  Are  they  peers? 
It  requires  a  peer  to  decide.  Who  is  a  peer  to  decide  whether  a 
man  has  lost  his  mind  or  found  another?  Ah,  Mike,  if  your 
peer  ever  lived  he  undoubtedly  took  his  record  to  the  earthly  mix- 
ing of  his  corporeal  remains  and  obliterated  the  entire  phospho- 
rated anatomical  leavings  from  the  ken  of  hazy  succeeding  men. 
I  have  never  been  a  ranchman,  or  cow-boy,  but  in  the  round  up 
of  the  people  of  the  world  I  am  wondering  whether  I  will  be 
branded  as  a  sheep  or  a  goat  and  be  passed  to  the  right  or  to  the 
left." 

During  the  few  minutes  in  which  it  required  Mr.  Millyard  to 
deliver  these  desultory  sentiments  his  guests  were  attentive  lis- 
teners. It  can  as  well  be  imagined,  as  stated,  that  they  were 
amazed  at  the  brilliant  emanations,  though  vagaries,  of  his  ex- 
ceedingly brilliant  brain.  They  "  humored  "  him,  if  that  word 
conveys  the  idea  in  full.  His  mind  by  thoughts  expressed  seemed 
to  take  a  range  that  was  wide. 

Alpha  Millyard  was  one  of  those  peculiar  individuals,  the  type 
more  easily  and  readily  conceived  than  described.  He  was  just 
the  same  kind  of  man  as  the  owner  of  several  hundred  million 
dollars  that  he  was  when  he  loaned  or  gave  the  last  ten  cents  he 
possessed  to  a  gentleman  whom  he  had  never  met  before,  and 
whose  name  he  did  not  know.     He  was  an  American.     It  was  in- 


326  The  Lady  of  New  Orleans. 

deed  lamentable  that  the  brilliant  mind  of  such  wide  scope,  philan- 
thropic, with  the  ability  now  to  give  full  swing  to  his  philan- 
thropy, should  be  wandering  and  seemingly  fading  into  inco- 
herency  and  intangibility,  if  even  broader  terms  cannot  be  used. 

There  was,  however,  no  madness,  no  absolute  insanity,  nor  any 
belligerent  or  destructive  tendencies.  But  in  such  cases  such  is 
often  feared.  However,  did  you  ever  note  how  easy  it  is  to  trace 
weakmindedness  in  any  person  when  special  attention  is  directed 
to  him  to  that  end  ?  It  is  easy  to  prove  a  person  to  be  demented. 
The  other  persons  are  such  excellent  judges. 

The  great  reason  for  regret  about  Mr.  Millyard  was  because 
at  the  prime  of  life,  even  before  his  prime,  and  possessed  of  such 
gigantic  fortune,  he  should  be  disabled  from  pursuing  to  full 
fruition  the  enormous  schemes  he  had  in  mind  which  would  have 
been  of  such  grand  value  to  human  kind.  Schools,  universities, 
hospitals,  abodes  for  the  poor  and  infirm,  railroads  and  steam- 
ship lines,  all  were  on  the  brink  of  being  left  only  as  a  dream. 
No  executors  or  trustees  could  carry  out  his  plans  on  the  same 
grand  scale  that  he  would.  This  seemed  to  be  the  opinion  of 
even  Mike  Delarue,  who  was  no  doubt  made  his  sole  executor. 

One  day,  earlier  than  usual,  Delarue  called  to  see  Millyard. 
It  was  another  sad  mission.  He  had  a  letter.  It  informed  Mr. 
Millyard  of  the  demise  of  Mr.  Galen  Dalgal.  The  letter  of  in- 
formation contained  the  following  as  part  of  its  contents : 

"  Only  a  short  while  before  poor  Mr.  Dalgal  died  he  made 
these  remarks :  '  I  had  a  talk  with  Alpha  Millyard  last  night. 
He  told  me  they  had  just  finished  his  big  hospital,  with  which  he 
was  delighted.  He  said  the  female  university  would  be  done 
next  year.  He  was  having  it  hurried.  Since  he  had  the  big 
railroads  consolidated  and  working  nicely  he  was  giving  nearly 
all  his  time  to  public  institutions ;  that  they  were  giving  him  much 
comfort.'  Among  the  last  words  he  said  were :  '  Alpha  is 
a  great  man,  a  genius,  and  is  a  blessing  to  the  people  of  the 
world.'  We  all  knew  that  Mr.  Dalgal  had  not  seen  you,  as  you 
were  not  here.     It  was  only  one  of  his  dreams." 

:i  Mike,  to  me  that  is  a  glorious  letter,"  said  Alpha.  "  Only 
one  of  his  dreams?  Well,  coming  from  Dalgal,  it  is  a  very 
comforting  dream  to  me.  For  this  reason :  although  it  an- 
nounces the  death  of  my  dear  friend  Dalgal,  he  was  a  semi- 
supernatural  man,  his  dream  about  me  indicates  what  I  and  my 


End  to  Which  We  Come.  327 

friends  may  hope  for  with  certainty,  my  restoration  to  health  and 
reason.     Dalgal's  dreams  always  came  true." 

"  May  the  good  Lord  grant  its  proving  true  in  your  case, 
Alpha,"  said  the  noble-hearted  Mike.  "  Judging  from  his  dreams 
in  the  past,  and  the  statements  in  this  letter,  your  complete  re- 
habilitation is  only  a  question  of  time  and  proper  attention.  I 
think  myself  you  will  get  well  in  a  few  months,  if  you  aid  nature 
by  trying." 

"  I  shall  certainly  do  my  best  at  trying.  You  and  your  good 
wife  and  little  Johnnie  and  his  charming  wife  are  making  it  very 
pleasant  for  me.  Besides,  Louis  and  all  the  servants  are  helping 
me  wonderfully.  I  will  make  it.  My  children  will  do  it.  I 
live  for  them." 

Days  were  doubling  into  weeks.  Instead  of  showing  any  signs 
of  improvement,  Mr.  Millyard  was  weakening,  becoming  thin 
and  gradually  growing  worse.  At  length  he  was  a  pitiable  look- 
ing man.  Emaciated,  with  lusterless  eyes  and  wandering  mind, 
he  was  apparently  becoming  a  wreck. 

Delarue  was  alarmed  about  him.  His  physicians  held  frequent 
and  lengthy  consultations.    Experts  were  called  in  to  their  aid. 

Finally  the  condition  of  Alpha  Millyard  became  such  that  the 
physicians  determined  he  could  be  better  provided  for  and  nursed 
were  he  placed  in  the  private  sanitarium  in  the  upper  part  of  the 
city.    Arrangements  were  made  to  that  end. 

"  Mike,  I  was  afraid  it  would  come  to  this.  Have  those  lawyers 
come  here  and  let  me  have  that  power  of  attorney  turned  over 
to  you." 

"  I  will  have  them  here  some  time  to-day,"  replied  Delarue. 
"  You  will  remain  here  until  to-morrow  morning.  I  will  stay 
here  to-night.  I  must  now  return  to  the  bank.  Here  comes 
Kate."     Delarue  departed. 

"  Ah,  Kate,  you  are  like  a  beam  of  sunshine  after  a  hard  spell 
of  rain.     Just  as  punctual  and  fresh  as  a  morning  lark." 

"  I  could  not  attend  to  my  domestic  affairs  for  thinking  about 
you,  my  good  friend,  Mr.  Millyard,"  exclaimed  Kate.  "  So  I 
just  had  to  come  right  here  at  once  and  see  how  you  are  getting 
on,  and  if  you  want  anything.-' 

"  Well,  Kate,  little  angel,  somehow  I  always  loved  angels, 
but  you  are  not  so  little — the  doctors  have  consulted.  When  they 
consult  you  know  something's  up.    And  they  decided  that  I  must 


328  The  Lady  of  New  Orleans. 

go  up  town  to  the  sanitarium,  where  I  can  get  fresh  air,  expert 
nursing  and  medical  skill ;  where  they  make  a  business  of  it  and 
are  prepared  to  treat  persons  of  my  disabilities  and  infirmities. 
Though,  I  must  confess  I  do  not  see  how  there  can  be  any  im- 
provement on  you  and  Mrs.  Delarue  and  my  other  friends  and 
my  servants.  But  perhaps  the  methodical  attention  of  the  doc- 
tors and  trained  nurses,  the  change,  with  fresh,  pure  air  from 
over  the  river,  will  bring  me  round  all  right." 

'  We  can  come  to  see  you  just  the  same  at  the  sanitarium.  I 
will,  and  so  will  Johnnie.  He  told  me  to  tell  you  to  please  come 
up  there  and  have  a  lunch.  He  has  one  preparing  for  you  and 
Mr.  Delarue.  Oh,  some  of  the  nicest  oyster  patties  you  ever 
saw !  And  quail  on  toast,  broiled  pompano,  lobster  and  shrimps 
and  pompano  salad,  and  a  lot  of  things.  I  told  him  what  to  get. 
And  a  beautiful  slice  of  cold  goose.  I  made  the  dressing  for 
the  salads." 

'"  Kate,  if  I  must  say  it,  you  are  sweet.  Sarah,  tell  Louis  to 
have  the  carriage  brought  out  immediately.  Kate,  you  are  to  go 
with  me." 

"  Of  course,"  replied  Kate,  "  I  am  going  with  you.  I  am  do- 
ing everything  I  can  to  make  life  pleasant  for  you." 

"  And  I  like  you  for  it,  Kate.  We  will  go  by  the  bank  and  get 
Mr.  Delarue.  A  good  round  at  Johnnie's  and  I  will  be  so  much 
better  that  the  doctors  may,  like  General  Von  Zinken,  change 
their  minds  about  sending  me  to  the  sanitarium.  You  see,  I  do 
not  like  to  leave  my  children." 

"That  is  bad.     Can't  you  take  them?" 

'  They  tell  me  not.  But  if  I  have  to  remain  any  length  of  time 
and  cannot  have  my  children  with  me,  I  shall  rebel,  raise  Cain 
from  the  dead,  and  build  a  sanitarium  of  my  own." 

Kate  agreed  with  one  of  the  doctors,  who  had  just  come,  that 
Mr.  Millyard  did  not  seem  to  be  much  hazy  in  mind,  if  any, 
though  the  doctors  said  the  attacks  were  sporadic. 

They  drove  to  the  bank.  The  two  lawyers  were  present.  The 
power  of  attorney  was  turned  over  to  Mr.  Delarue.  Then  Kate 
and  Delarue  accompanied  Millyard  to  Johnnie's  cafe  up-stairs. 

Xext  morning  Mr.  Millyard  was  in  excellent  condition.  His 
friends  began  to  arrive  before  ten  o'clock.  First  Mrs.  Delarue 
and  her  daughter.  Then  Kate  and  Johnnie,  the  doctors  and  the 
lawyers.    Mr.  Delarue  was  there  all  night,  but  went  to  the  bank 


End  to  Which  we  Come.  329 

and  returned.  The  carriages  were  ready.  De  Ampbert  and 
Mittie  were  taken  in  the  victoria  with  their  father  and  Mr  De- 
larue.  The  others  were  in  carriages  provided  for  them.  Adieux 
were  exchanged  with  his  servants,  except  Louis,  who  went  with 
him.  The  procession  moved  forward  on  its  singularly  sad 
mission. 

In  due  time  the  party  arrived  at  the  private  asylum  and  entered 
the  office. 

As  Mr.  Millyard  clasped  his  children  in  his  arms  to  kiss  them 
good-by  tears  came  to  his  eyes.  Then  there  was  a  symposium 
of  boo-hoohs  and  mild-mannered  sobs.  Kate  broke  the  sad  scene 
by  exclaiming : 

"  Well,  I  am  going  to  see  if  things  are  fixed  comfortably  for 
him.     Show  me  his  apartments." 

"  Yes,  I  wish  to  see  them  also,"  added  Mrs.  Delarue. 

Then  they  were  all  shown,  with  Mr.  Millyard,  to  his  apart- 
ments— five  rooms  on  the  south-east  corner,  overlooking  the  great 
Mississippi  river,  over  the  tops  of  the  houses,  a  quarter  of  a 
mile  distant. 

He  was  to  be  placed  on  a  diet  of  goat  milk,  goat  meat,  oat 
meal,  rye  bread  and  fish.  He  was  also  to  be  restricted  to  a  sys- 
tematic course  of  conversation  on  certain  subjects  to  be  ascer- 
tained as  he  progressed ;  that  is,  to  train  his  mind,  as  it  were, 
dc  novo.  This  the  management  regarded  as  the  most  essential 
feature  of  treatment. 

"  Before  we  part,  Mr.  Millyard,"  said  Mrs.  Delarue,  "  if  I  am 
not  asking  you  a  question  that  is  improper,  or  one  you  care  not 
to  answer,  please  tell  me  the  nature  of  the  other  bereavement  you 
have.  You  spoke  of  being  so  distressingly  peculiarlv  bereft  of 
those  two  persons  of  all  others  who  afforded  you  comfort." 

"  Ah !  "  he  exclamed,  at  the  same  time  raging  in  a  passion. 
'  Take  it  away !  Take  it  away !  I  know  it  not !  Ah,  dear  Ce- 
celia was  a  lovely  sister ;  but,  oh,  my  mother,  my  mother,  how 
she  went !  Would  to  God  the  black  fiend  had  been  turned  to  a 
pillar  of  salt  before  he  saw  her !  And  the  other  brute,  too.  My 
dear  mother  dead  and  my  sweet  sister  ruined  for  life.  Oh,  take 
it  away !  take  it  away !  I  know  it  not !  "  Millyard  sank  down  in 
a  large  plush  chair  in  distressing  agitation. 

Mrs.  Delarue  whispered  to  the  others.     She  said : 

"  There  must  something  terrible  have  happened  to  his  mother 


330 


The  Lady  of  New  Orleans. 


and  his  sister,  the  grief  for  which,  added  to  the  grief  for  his  wife, 
has  stunned  his  mind." 

At  this  their  faces  were  blanched.  They  could  not  divine  the 
other  cause  for  his  grief. 

As  the  hand  of  each  in  turn  were  shaken,  his  friends  gradually 
withdrew,  while  Alpha  Millyard  turned  his  head  and  gazed  out 
through  the  corner  bay  window  facing  up  and  down  the  crescent 
in  the  great  river. 

Slowly  turning  his  face  toward  his  departing  friends  and 
children,  he  beheld  Mr.  Delarue's  head  poking  slyly  round  the 
open  door  at  him.  Mr.  Millyard  waved  his  hand  gently  and 
cried : 

"  Mike,  Bertah  vos  too  smart  fur  dot.'' 


